The Daily Spin II
Future Islands | Singles
Welcome back to the Daily Spin. For the uninitiated, this is the series in which I review an album every day of 2025.
As was the case two years ago, my favorite song from each album can be found at the playlist linked here.
Album: Singles (2014)
Artist: Future Islands
Link:
Beautiful production is the main component of this record, a compilation of released singles that does exactly what it says on the label.
This is an album bookended by two of the finest songs of the 2010s - closer ‘A Dream of You And Me’, and leadoff hitter ‘Seasons’, the latter of which was released to truly universal acclaim and won Track of the Year for 2014 across multiple publications (I personally prefer the Slow Club version, which draws out the emotional damage factor to immense effect, but it’s remarkable work).
The in-between is a little bit of a letdown here - the best of the synthpop is at the hills and the valley between is an arduous and sometimes long crossing, but rarely does this ever dip into truly unlistenable work.
As the band had moved from their earlier roots in punk, specifically electro-punk, the sights were set on stardom - especially following a Letterman performance that went viral and catapulted the band to new heights - but it was a question of whether they could reach the stars or settle for the moon.
It’s pleasing to be able to say I think they’ve done it - strong new wave beats, and a very lovely balance struck between the churning pop of the era, the optimistic sort of synth-heavy beats of that time, and the stagey histronics that can oft come with records like this. All three work in tandem to provide a beautiful synchronicity.
Rating: 8/10
Best Tracks: A Dream of You and Me, Seasons (Waiting On You)
Worst Tracks: Doves