Future Islands Mixes Melancholy and Melodies on Latest Record

Sometimes listening to melancholy music actually makes you feel better, especially if it has a catchy beat over otherwise morose lyrics.

Bands such as the Smiths and the Cure introduced, and perfected, the blueprint back in the British new-wave days of the 1980s. For a young Michael Lowry, a self-described outsider back then, the burgeoning subgenre provided both much-needed solace and a community he could be a part of, while also inspiring his future musical career.

“As a teenager, I felt very alienated and alone,” he recalls. “That’s not an uncommon experience for teenagers. I think that that music gives a safe haven for people who feel that way. At least it did for me. To be able to go somewhere and dance to New Order or Joy Division or the Cure, and listening and identifying so much with what this person is saying, made me feel so not alone and not like a loser.”

The 49-year-old drummer of synth-pop group Future Islands is now bringing that same energy to the Baltimore-based group that has become known for its snappy hooks and generally somber subject matter. The dichotomy is what makes it appealing.

“As a drummer, I just always really wanted to make people dance. I’m always coming at it from that,” Lowry explains. “That’s a very physical level, dancing, that we can connect on as strangers moving through the world that maybe are sharing the same space in a moment.”

Then there’s vocalist Samuel T. Herring’s often autobiographical poetries.

“Maybe having lyrics that are about some real unhappy experiences, or happy experiences, or just real, raw experiences is another level people can seek and find connection,” Lowry continues. “Both of those things are very powerful.”

On the group's latest album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, released at the beginning of this year via British label 4AD, Lowry, Herring, William Cashion (bass and guitar) and Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming) bare it all once again. After sharing As Long As You Are in 2020, both Herring and Cashion went through breakups; Herring’s long-distance relationship with his partner whom he'd lived with in Sweden for years dissolved, while Cashion’s divorce resulted in a move west to Los Angeles.

“Lots of life stuff” is packed into the dozen People Who Aren’t There Anymore tracks, according to Lowry. “Then on top of that, we all went through this collective trauma that was insane,” he adds, referencing the pandemic.

Without any tours lined up, Future Islands hunkered down and wrote — remotely initially, then together in the studio once in-person meetups resumed. “Coming out of the As Long as You Are process, we had a bunch of pokers in the fire, then on top of that, we were sending each other stuff over email,” Lowry explains.

The result is another sincere offering with songs such as “King of Sweden,” which was picked for the soundtrack of new video game FC 25, and “The Thief,” another therapeutic rumination about Herring’s relationship ending.

Future Islands is now back on the road promoting the record. The band stops in Denver on Tuesday, September 24, at Mission Ballroom. Oh, Rose is also on the bill.

Since 2006, Future Islands has never shied away from wearing its collective heart on its sleeve. Instead, that approach has become the group’s trademark. Of course, as Lowry points out, chronicling one’s life means the substance that goes into the creative juices naturally changes.
“When you think about it, growing old is pretty trippy; how things change, how your priorities change, how do you stay consistent, how do you keep this thing carrying on and relevant and stay true to it with everything else in your life that’s going on,” he shares. “Because when you’re twenty, this is it. You don’t really have a whole lot of responsibilities. A lot of times you’re all living together.

“It’s very easy because you’re all focused on one thing,” continues Lowry, who officially joined the band in 2020 after six years as the touring drummer. “The experience isn’t easy, but it’s more conducive that everyone can be hyper-focused on this one thing.”

With all the bandmembers in their forties now, the dynamics have shifted as personal lives take different paths. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to Lowry, but recognizing it has helped Future Islands mature and move forward constructively.

“As you get older, you just become a responsible adult. You can’t do that anymore,” he adds. “So how do you keep growing consciously and stay true to yourself and exploring who you are and what you think?”

Those questions are answered through song on the relatable People Who Aren’t There Anymore. But at the core, one thing has remained constant for Future Islands over the years.

“I hope that people, if they feel alienated or alone, there’s something that they’re connecting to in our music and maybe they feel less alone. Or maybe if they feel overwhelmed by their life experience or their feelings, that someone else is going through this, too,” Lowry concludes.

“At least to me, it seems like people are longing for connection more than ever. We’re all so siloed off now. Hopefully, we can be that for somebody and build those bridges.”

Future Islands, with Oh, Rose, 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 24, Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street. Tickets are $54-$107.