Future Islands is finally having its Cinderella moment. Their fourth album, Singles, is a head turner, and well-deserved one at that. After their storied performance on Late Show with David Letterman, they could have played the role of Fairy Godmother as well — the song at the center of that performance, “Seasons (Waiting on You),” is downright amazing. It’s all pop and grunge, melodramatic and sincere, gorgeous and grotesque. It brings together the contradictions that make up our lives, or at least those of us on the more emotional part of the spectrum.
In most live performances of “Seasons,” frontman Samuel T. Herring holds his hand to the sky during the words “as it rains,” gazing mournfully on an uplifted and unknown object invisible to everyone but him. The simple gesture embodies the genius of the song itself—cartoonish in its romance, it is a track that yearns for a particular love while accepting the passing of time. Future Islands have tightened up their sound in a way that brings their sharp synth-pop to the forefront and showcases their talent in the best of ways: no evil step-mother in sight.