Future Islands: "For the most part we're trying to keep things the same and stay humble"

We got the chance to have a chat with Herring in the wake that followed their fourth record’s release. Singles, their first album on new label 4AD – and a previous Best Fit Album Of The Week – is one of the finest releases of 2014, and perhaps, arguably, the best record of Future Islands’ career. We were also fortunate to talk about their upcoming, sure to be eagerly-anticipated slot at this year’s Field Day on June 8th.

When talking to Herring, it was clear that the man behind the moves is infinitely more interesting. Calm, mild-mannered and well-spoken, he’s the rockstar antithesis. He has a lot to say, and when talking, we often found him hurtling down tangents – albeit utterly fascinating ones – where he ponders the intricacies of life and humanity. He’s got a natural affinity for being a resolute orator, a rare facet, and is able to command the conversation’s mood unconsciously. He’s confident, but as far away from arrogance as you can get. Put simply, he’s a splendid chap.

Our time with him was centred on the froth surrounding Singles, but he has ruminations on festival atmospheres, music criticism and much more too. Here’s the unfiltered chinwag – it’s been tidied up, but nothing’s been omitted or shoehorned. To be honest, we we’d much rather just sit and listen to him talk anyway. ​

So how’s life treating you post-Singles? Has much changed since the release of what many are calling your ‘breakthrough record’?

Samuel Herring: We’re surprised at how well things are going! We’ve had some cool offers for festivals, and to play places we’ve wanted to play for years, and over the past few weeks people who have turned us down before have asked us back. Usually when we play somewhere new we expect like 50 people, and over the last few shows in places like Fargo [North Dakota] and Montana we had like 1500! Even so, ultimately, we’re a band who tour 160 days a year and we meet people first hand. For the most part we’re trying to keep things the same and stay humble.

How do you feel about the reaction it got?

I think for the most part were getting the reaction we hoped for. We really believe in Singles – we feel the same about every LP, but we knew this was the most immediate.

Our previous album, On The Water, is one you need to sit with and think with; in a world where you need critics and peoples’ reviews, you guys [music critics] have gotta sort through so much and in such few listens too, and I feel like it was a detriment there. We knew people would be expecting something upbeat from it and they got this slow-burning LP. We knew it’d catch people offguard but we knew if we put it out against expectation we would free ourselves up for the future. We didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves and make people expect things.

Singles is an amalgam of everything, the great dance pop and slow-burning nostalgia songs. It’s a complete circle of our styles. I feel like it’s the strongest writing, and definitely the strongest fine-tuned group of songs. We believe that every song has its strength. They standalone with little flourishes, and those touches set each other apart, but in that same sense they all fit together. In the past we have these records that ebb and flow to create ambience, and here it was just about creating the best songs and putting them on a platter.

What was the one thing you feel critics missed? Or were all the bases covered?

On a personal note, some criticism that bothers me that some of the lyrics are cliché, but the whole point is that they’re supposed to be. I’m pushing cliché and making it my own. It’s about trying to boil down pop to its essence by saying something simple in a simple way.

Some people that criticise the simplicity of the lyrics don’t even reference the lyrics in “Back In The Tall Grass”, which is speaking on deep themes. “Light House” is about suicide and having someone talk you out of that situation. They’re so much deeper than some people have realised. It is heavy stuff put out as pop. That’s the beauty. We catch people with brightness you can move to, but with a heavy message you don’t hear for 20 listens or for years later. I – we – don’t always get music the first time. But then again, sometimes we do, and it’ll hit in a different way later. But then people do miss stuff that we find important, but that’s just the way it is, and everyone should have their own opinion.

Do you feel like there’s a lot of expectations for things you do now? Like, do you feel like you’re under more scrutiny in other aspects since having such an acclaimed record?

I usually like to catch people offguard with live shows when they have no expectations. We have high standards and expectations for ourselves, so we push that, but then again we push everything we do as hard as we can. Pressure like that doesn’t bother us as long as we put it on ourselves. It’s important to push yourself and work hard to get what you want.

The tone’s different from previous records, and it’s arguably your “happiest” – not that that’s the exact right word. How did that come about?

There’s a greater deal of optimism… actually, maybe ‘maturity and understanding of life’ is a better term. There are some bright moments – some very bright ones – but I don’t know about happy. “Sun In The Morning” is probably the only ‘happy’ one we’ve ever written. It’s about someone you hate to see leave and love to see in the morning, which we to do have far too regularly as touring musicians. It’s a dissection of those beautiful moments in certain relationships – when I did have that – and with who I made coffee and walked to work. It’s a song about an ideal of love, rather than a physical love that actually exists, so I guess ultimately it’s hopeful. I still don’t know about happy, though.

When we talk about nostalgia, we hope that when you find yourself in darker moments, or you feel lost, you can then relive your happiest memories. Life isn’t always going to be bad, nor is it always going to be good. Everything evens out. Everything will be okay.

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What moments are you most proud of on the record?

I don’t know at all… that’s a good one… “Spirits”? I love it, it’s the most telling song of what were trying to get across, which is about digging inside yourself to find that thing that makes you you, and never to stifle it: bring it to the forefront. It’s a song that I think will hopefully have a positive effect on people and open people up to themselves. There’s also “Fall From Grace” and that giant, blasting scream – that release, unleashing that part of you that you want to get rid of. Then again, there’s the poignancy of “A Dream Of You And Me”... there’s so many moments. As a whole, Singles is its own achievement. I’m already looking forward to the next one.

We were all just struggling 7 years ago, but we believed in ourselves and our music, and that if we put in the energy we could affect people and support ourselves doing what we love. All that’s come true. This is a new step for us, new record, new label. It’s a new beginning.

How do you feel Singles translates to a live scenario as opposed to your older material?

It’s translating wonderfully. We went out on the road a week prior to heading into the studio, before Singles was a thing, and took all the album’s songs we knew were going to be on there. Even at that point, they were creating a great response when they were completely unheard. When we play them now, people are just going crazy. Usually after a new record, we’d have 5/6 tracks from it in the regular setlist, but this time, we have 7/8 tracks each night from the new record, and I can easily say 6 of those will live for a long time in our live set. They have the right energy and power.

I’m guessing you’ve been asked about the Letterman stuff a million times since it happened so I won’t linger on it, but what’s your take on the aftermath – like all the GIFs and an almost cultish appreciation?

The consensus is positive. As long as the music’s getting out, that’s good. Whether they like it or not, they’re giving it a chance – even if that’s only 15 seconds. We’re excited that more people are checking us out, but the thing is, that performance was just a smaller, condensed version of what you can expect from us at one of our shows.

Where’s been your favourite place to play?

Ooh… that’s the hardest question in the world. We’ve played like over 400 cities… I don’t know!

Athens is great though. New Orleans as well. Up and down the West Coast is amazing. Playing in Montreal and big music centres in Baltimore. Berlin. We played Paris and it was one of the craziest shows ever. We were just playing in Montana and that was wild too. People were so excited. People don’t often go there on tours, and afterwards people came up to us that were so excited, saying things like “thank you so much for coming!”, and we were just like “we’re here to find you and get closer to you!” Sometimes we play those small cities and they’re the wildest. It used to be so different when we were in New York, and, y’know, they have everything, so sometimes a crowd used to be more jaded just ‘cause they’re used to music always being there. But that was years ago. It’s crazy now.

We’re all small town boys at heart – I’m still waiting to play my home town! Hopefully one day. My favourite place to play changes every day.

Have you got any surprises lined up for Field Day?

We’re really excited. We’re yet to do a real UK festival and we’ve heard such good things about it. We’re just going to do our thing and, y’know, then blow people’s minds. Every show is important, it’ll be big, but well just carry on what we’ve been doing.

There’ll be nothing crazy. Well, except for us.

Any other festivals you can tell us about?

We’ll be at Latitude and Great Escape. Primavera too – that was one of the festivals that wouldn’t take us earlier in the year, and then after Singles, they came after us! I’m excited to see some bands really that important to us. We get to be on the same bill, maybe not the same stage or day or whatever, but still… you don’t always get the chance to watch them perform, but it’s nice to run into people backstage too. When we did SXSW, it was great to catch Mark [Kozelek] from Sun Kil Moon. He was just the nicest guy ever and we were like “whoa, I cant believe we’re here with you! It’s crazy, I was crying to your record the other day!”

It’s nice to be on the other side for a change, to remember why you love music again, and why you got into music in the first place. We were all just fans of music in the beginning, and now we feel like we can, we want to give back to that culture and become part of that history.

Singles is available now on 4AD. They will be playing Field Day June 8th, with tickets still available here. Portrait by Timothy Saccenti.