THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Future Islands were never meant to last. But after 18 years and 1,400 live shows, Future Islands show they’re not only still here; they’re making the most powerful music of their fascinating but unexpectedly long and storied career.
For Future Islands, albums aren’t a static reflection of a moment in time; they are a fluid chapter in their lives that can change and mutate. People change and pull away. The band are no different, coming up against their future while staring at their past. They’re not the same people they were when Future Islands began nearly two decades ago. They are now spread about, some settled down and some still moving. People Who Aren’t There Anymore reflects the transience of a band’s existence; the rare privilege of travelling all over the world contrasting with the sadness of fleeting moments in and out of people’s lives. Being everywhere but also nowhere. Remembering the lives lost and the living they’ll never see again, cherishing the present and being grateful for the past.
The seventh album from the band — Samuel T. Herring (vocals, lyrics), William Cashion (bass, guitars), Gerrit Welmers (keyboards, programming) and Michael Lowry (drums) — follows 2020’s As Long As You Are. 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, delivering some of their most inspiring and most heartbreaking tracks by doing the opposite: Taking their time, making each breath, each syllable, each cymbal crash count. The result is a powerful, defining statement.
People Who Aren’t There Anymore was co-produced by Future Islands and Steve Wright, and mixed by Wright and Chris Coady (who returns to working with the band for the first time since 2014’s Singles).”
