People Who Aren’t There Anymore by Future Islands

Admittedly, I have been slow to get on the Future Islands train. The Baltimore four-piece have been around for nearly 20 years. People Who Aren’t There Anymore is their fourth album for 4AD, and their seventh full-length album overall. It is fantastic.

The band first hit my radar with their song “Seasons (Waiting on You),” the opening banger on their first 4AD album, 2014’s Singles. While I’ve loved that song for a decade, the band has never been able to rise above their “steady, pleasant background music” status in my library. People Who Aren’t There Anymore would probably have stayed in that same category if it weren’t for the sense of FOMO I started to feel in the build-up to the band’s September 13, 2024 show at the Paramount Theater here in Seattle. Enough of my friends were excitedly talking about going to that show that I felt I needed to see what the hubbub was all about.

And wow am I glad I did. The band’s keyboard-driven electro-pop sound is well produced and sounds smooth as a Baileys on ice in recorded form. But in a live setting it morphs into something else: expert staging combine with driving beats and intense strobing lights, while lead singer Sam Herring pulls you into this world he and the band have built. The 40-year old singer dances and struts around the stage like an amped up Mick Jagger – lots of high kicks and jumping slides. He is electric, and an absolute joy to watch. After seeing that show, I vowed to never miss Future Islands when they come back to town.

Hearing the songs from People Who Aren’t There Anymore in this setting changes your understanding and perception of the songs. “The Tower,” featured in the video above, is a great example of what the band is capable of. If you listen closely and close your eyes, you can imagine how this might translate to the live stage. Make sure you picture Herring’s non-stop moving about the stage like his batteries have been overcharged.

You can watch a couple other videos of songs from the album. “Deep in the Night” is a slower ballad that makes you feel something you didn’t know you had. “The Thief”, a bit more upbeat, doesn’t have the band in the video, but instead features four dancers in a modern-dance performance choreographed to the song.

I encourage you to also watch their performance of the album‘s opening track “King of Sweden” on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show back in February 2022. If you’re in a hurry, fast forward to about the 3-minute mark to get a taste of Herring’s stage presence. Then imagine that kind of energy stretched out over 90 minutes of pure bliss.

Next time Future Islands come through town I’ll be sure to rope you in so you can experience it first hand. For now, enjoy People and keep your eyes peeled and ears open for new albums to come.

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White Roses, My God by Alan Sparhawk

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