Watch this absolutely genius network television debut by Baltimore, Maryland-based synth-pop band Future Islands. They appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on March 3, 2014, performing "Seasons (Waiting on You)" from their 2014 album Singles (recorded at Dreamland Studios). It's truly one of the best performances I've seen on a late-night show. If you've never seen it, definitely check it out. Lead singer Sam Herring is absolutely mesmerizing. He's got such a unique voice and dancing style, and his guttural scream at 3:24 literally made me jump out of my seat the first time I watched this video.
This more recent performance on NPR's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert from January 2021 is also terrific. Tiny Desk producer Bob Boilen describes the set:
This music is clearly for the head and the feet. The songs are from their sixth and very recent album, As Long As You Are. Along with themes of loneliness and love, we also hear songs about race, which is most evident in "The Painter," a song about how we can all look at the same thing and see it so differently. We end with a song that came out shortly after visiting NPR in 2011 called "Balance." It's one of those tunes that feels repurposed for the 2020s: "This is a song for anybody who's struggling through their lives," Sam Herring says, "and I know there are a lot of you all out there, just trying to get by, but it's going to take a little bit more time."
Pitchfork recently quoted Jonathan van Tulleken, who directed the video for the band's newest song, "The Fight," from their forthcoming album "People Who Aren't There Anymore," which will be released on January 26:
Anyone who's seen Sam on stage shape shift with his whole body and voice from heart wrenchingly tender to fantastically ferocious knows that he is a truly, magnetic, performer.
If you want to see Future Islands live, they'll be appearing at a handful of festivals in March, May, and August, 2024.
