The showmanship is far from over for Future Islands. The punk-minded Baltimore synth-poppers’ Singles liberates its sleek ’80s lines from nostalgia through sheer force of gruff expressiveness, but of course they were meant for the stage. The freestyle rap-capable crew’s frenzied take on Singles‘ “Seasons (Waiting on You)” on Late Show With David Letterman has long since become the stuff of Internet memes and indie dreams. And their 2014 Coachella set, well, did you watch it?
Future Islands returned to the time slot of their million-viewer conquest last night with a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and frontman Sam Herring wasted no time dancing through galvanizing renditions of “Doves” and “Spirit.” To all the comparisons for the band, let’s add John Maus, who’s also known for his chest-beating live presence over throwback electronics (and who uses earnestness to set his icy retrofuturism free). Calling the Kimmel gig a “victory lap” would be trite, but just imagine we’re delivering the words as passionately as Herring would and maybe it’ll all be okay.
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