Future Islands Biography

Future Islands is an American synthpop band formed in 2006, in North Carolina. The line-up initial and current consists of Gerrit Welmers (keyboards and programming), William Cashion (bass, acoustic and electric guitars), and Samuel T. Herring (lyrics and vocals). The band has changed a few drummers during its existence.

2000s

The Future Islands trio met at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. They initially formed a band called Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, which had 2 more members. After two years, the band broke up and Future Islands took its place. “The name is meant to be vague. We were either gonna be called Already Islands or Future Shoes. Because, seriously, you don’t know what future shoes look like, but you know you’d want a pair!” commented the band about choosing their name. In 2008, the group released their first studio album, Wave Like Home. In 2009, Future Islands moved to the independent record company Thrill Jockey.

2010s

The band’s first project with their new label was In Evening Air, with came out in 2010. After a year of intense touring and recording, Future Islands released their third album, On the Water. Furthermore, they signed with 4AD and released another album, Singles, in the spring of 2014. The album reached number 40 in the US and 36 in the UK. Additionally, the lead single, Seasons (Waiting on You), marked the band’s television breakthrough. After performing on The Late Show with David Letterman, Future Islands gained major popularity. Notably, Pitchfork declared Seasons the best song of 2014. The band released their latest album, The Far Field, in April 2017, to generally positive reviews.

Photo source: Mojo