FUTURE ISLANDS

Future Islands is a synth-pop band from Baltimore. That’s what it says when I do the research, but that makes no sense to me. They sound so English to my ear, Cotswolds-raised in the ‘70s, surely, and in thrall to OMD and Human League, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and New Order.

Their new album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, is being released tomorrow and so I’m reaching out to you at the last minute. You really should check out their 2014 performance here on Letterman. It changed the trajectory of their career for good reason, and is a truly remarkable four minutes of live music (which is a statement you scoff at, I realize, and I understand why). The lead singer, Samuel T Herring, is a one-off, and he makes me wish I’d lived differently, and knew better how to make the most of an opportunity.