In January, Future Islands released the band’s seventh album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore (4AD). They follow the album up with a North American tour set to launch in Boston on June 19 with a date at The Anthem on Sunday, June 23.
People Who Aren’t There Anymore heralds a new chapter for Future Islands who, despite having formed nearly two decades ago, continue to challenge themselves and each other. Where they’ve pursued ever-higher energy anthems in the past, they’ve turned inward this time and unlocked a new level of ferocity. The album delivers some of their most inspiring and heartbreaking tracks by doing the opposite: taking their time, and making each breath, syllable and cymbal crash count.
Co-produced by Future Islands and Steve Wright and mixed by Wright and Chris Coady, the result is a powerful, defining statement from a group of musicians that have made the best work of their career.
Watch the official music video for “The Thief” by Future Islands on YouTube:
There’s a pain and a joy that’s in Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring’s voice that’s only been rivaled by their legendary live performances, but never captured in their studio albums. It feels like it’s been untethered for the first time in People Who Aren’t There Anymore. Future Islands have played nearly 1,500 shows — shows that have bruised bodies, frayed vocal cords, provided escapes for audiences, and healed their messengers. People Who Aren’t There Anymore is a major work from a band at an inflection point: They’re discovering new ways to experience the world, because the old ways weren’t working. That freedom has led to the most fully realized, most transparently honest statement in their 17 years as a band.
Future Islands
W/ Ed Schrader’s Music Beat
The Anthem
Sunday, June 23
Doors @ 6:30pm
$45/$75
All ages