Futures

The Holiday

Written by: DR on 13/06/2010 19:19:21

If it wasn't for Rock Sound, I would never have heard of Futures; if it wasn't for Futures giving their debut EP away for free via Rock Sound, I would never have bought the magazine in the first place. I guess I'm not the only one, as that issue sold more than any other in the history of the magazine. They only formed in 2009, but because three of their four members were in Tonight is Goodbye they are all familiar with each other and will need to spend barely any time finding their feet as a band.

That's not to say Futures are picking up where TIG left off. No, the days of whining about love and asking for sex are gone. You won't find anything close to "Am I still impressing you? / And baby would you mind if I asked to undress you?" from TIG's "Black Dress". In such a short interval between bands, the members of Futures are suddenly grown up, and they show it by adopting a different stance to, well, almost every other pop rock band out there by building the core of "The Holiday" with a positive mindset; all of a sudden, failed relationships aren't the end of the world "'Cause I live my life with a second smile".

What good would writing a decent lyric be if you didn't have the music to back it up though? Futures do, and then some. The song structures are astute, the vocals assured and the technical ability far surpasses that of your average pop rock group that can strike three chords. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" has been earning some play time on music channels, and it's not hard to establish why as it's the lead single and best song on here due to the chorus, which is, to put it simply, so fucking good. "16" is a melodic powerhouse that takes a mature look on youth; "Sal Paradise" has all the guitar-work to get you tapping your foot, while "Holiday" is slightly more laid-back and less reliant on a big chorus, but its blissful quality means it doesn't compromise on any of their infectious energy. "Thank You" is the perfect closer; it's far from complex, based around a simple yet solid chorus, but that's what's great about this album.

It's easy to write any band with a "pop rock" tag off as the next in a long production line set to be taken to the heart of every teenage girl around. Do so at your peril. While it's true it never tries to be anything more than what it is, which is a confident, consistent slither of pop rock as should be done, it's still far from your average attempt to clone the trillions of bands across the ocean that seem to cram as many "woahs" in as possible (judging from the promo pictures, none of them even bother to straighten their hair!!). You won't need to feel even slightly guilty about enjoying this.

8

Download: 16, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Thank You
For The Fans of: Taking Back Sunday, You Me At Six, The Rocket Summer
Listen: Myspace

Release Date 03.03.2010
Self-released through Rock Sound

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