Genre – Alternative Rock
Hometown – Lincoln, United Kingdom
Members – Max Sander, Chris Moore, Jake Scarbro, Rohan Parrett
Future Theory are a self proclaimed “ambient and moody” rock band harking from Lincoln in England. As somebody who, prior to the release of this EP, had not heard of them I was looking forward to discovering a new band who in the short time they have been together seem to have built a fan base that following the release of “Eye of the Storm” in 2015.
Eye of the Storm – 4:18
The EP begins exactly as I’d expect for a band who suggest they are ambient. Throughout the intro, the echoing guitar softly leads into a wonderful starting drum beat. As the vocal kicks in the song immediately I am taken to early Radiohead, namely “My Iron Lung” but with a little more..ambiance (There’s a theme here). As the song builds you can imagine being in a tiny, sweaty club venue with the crowd losing themselves, immersing themselves in the music. The way the song progresses and ends so beautifully makes me want to listen on to the rest of the EP with intrigue as to where this young band are going.
Fool’s Dream – 3:41
The title track is very different, much more intricate in style yet just as punchy as the previous song. As this track moves from subtle acoustic melodies into a Reigning Days-esque chorus you get the impression these guys know what they’re doing. The melodic vocal that ensues is moody, it reminds me of an early Soundgarden and underneath the vocal the intricacies continue with overlapping guitars, perfect percussion and quite frankly the song ends too soon. I felt it could be an 11 minute instrumental epic if it wanted to but for a debut EP, it would perhaps be arrogant to attempt that.
Horses – 3:48
For me, this is the stand out track from this mini-record. I love the opening riff, and the vocal timing on the run in is so accomplished you would not know this is the bands first EP. Having the feel of a more “traditional” indie track it is perhaps more immediately accessible than the first two and the harmonies add a lovely dimension to it during the chorus. A common feature of this EP up to this stage is Future Theory’s ability to progress a song; many current bands play on this ability like Foals and Biffy Clyro so to even be considered in the same sentence as bands like that is testament to how good I feel this band are already. The heavy outro ending only satisfies further with the cold, harsh ending fitting the song very nicely.
Listen Closely – 4:45
“Listen Closely” again shows how diverse, yet committed to the genre Future Theory are. Although demonstrating more funky, staccato style guitar riffs there is a smoothness and a flow to the song and even though the chorus seems much more natural than the verses, the blend works in this case. The middle section feels like a Stone Roses track with the lengthy vocals and instrumental wizadry; but then the funk comes back and it feels like an entirely different song again. I feel this track, after a few more listens may become a favourite but even after five or six it demonstrates the ability of Future Theory and how they’re not afraid to mix genres, sounds and musical styles and tempos to create ambitious tracks.
Horses/Koncide
Now this is different..
Does it work? I’m still not entirely sure. Although I don’t feel this “dance” track if that’s what you want to call it does the EP justice as a closing track I can’t help but think it matches the ambition and fearlessness the band show throughout the previous four tracks. Not being my genre of choice I find it hard to fully relate to the track as a whole, but as part of the wider EP and the bands vision I do believe it belongs here.
Summary
I’m excited by Future Theory.
This EP left me with a different view I was going to present halfway through the penultimate track. I was going to sing their praises musically, how they mix genres, blend styles and rip up the musical rule book to create something quite stunning for a first EP. Instead how I want to end is by saying, yes, Future Theory do have talent, and do have those capabilities, but even though I am not the biggest fan of track five, it has added to my belief this band have something different, something that will suit them in the music business. They are fearless and have a vision to make the music they want to make, not be defined by boundaries or what people say they should be making and that is what defines them as a band.
Rating: 4/5
Halfway 2 Nowhere 