If you haven’t heard of Future Islands, before you listen to any of their albums, I recommend you watch the video of front man Samuel T. Herring’s dancing on The Letterman Show. You will not be disappointed. It is quite something. Following their breakthrough album for romantic synth-pop, Singles, Future Islands are back with The Far Field.

From the first track ‘Aladdin’, we are welcomed back with the vulnerable yet strong vocals from Herring and William Cashion’s instantly recognisable bass guitar. The tempo is similar and it’s quite comforting at first, however the album continues to not vary much from Singles. The basis of the album is still predominantly anthemic love songs and the bass appears to remain as the leading instrument. Despite this, The Far Field shows how Future Islands have mastered synth-pop by perfecting its fundamental elements as seen in pre-released ‘Ran’ and ‘Cave’. ‘Ran’ made me think about my love choices whilst wanting to experiment with interpretative dance like Herring- please watch the video -although, as stubbornly stated by my mum, “there’s just nothing like ‘Seasons’”.

‘Candles’ provides a breather from the repetitive tempo of The Far Field by slowing it right down. Herring drags out his crooning lyrics, which allows us to hear every quiver in his voice. It’s very romantic. The penultimate song of the album ‘Shadows’ surprisingly features Debbie Harry. Despite not featuring Blondie-style vocals, Harry and Herring’s voices compliment one another, elevating the ballad, even if Herring hogs the vocals a little.

The Far Field made for frustrating listening. I knew it was classic Future Islands because of the distinct head bop I unconsciously found myself doing, but I wanted to see what else Samuel T. Herring had up his sleeve. Maybe- hopefully -some new dance moves.

Louise Gilligan