Led by central songwriter Curtis Peel, the project features psychedelic rock and heartfelt songwriting, achieving a sound best described as “future-classic.” By virtue of experimentation, a multimedia vision, and an energetic delivery, Futurist creates a wall of sound that ignites audiences with their own style and modern mythology.
Futurist release their first album, War Is Yesterday (2011) through a multimedia, interactive art installation and interdisciplinary album release event. The band teamed up with some of New York City’s most innovative young artists to create both an interactive walk-through album and interdisciplinary live performance of the record.
With appeal for both lovers of space-age and vintage music, Futurist has been likened to the visions of Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, and Spoon. The group are known for their associations with folk-lore and psychedelia, with elements of this culture permeating the group’s instrumentation, effects, and composition.
During the extended break following the release of War Is Yesterday, Futurist have undergone some substantive changes in their overall aesthetic and collaborators. Moving away from the lighter, indie folk-rock sounds from their debut LP, the band have clearly developed some deeper and more nuanced styles that are featured throughout Omens.
The album is more technologically ambitious, as can be heard on tracks such as the dramatic “Slow Motion,” the dreamy, but angst-filled “Bad Air, Still Water,” and the harrowing and experimental “Harakiri.” Futurist have embraced their modern tools to create a hybrid sound that is both traditional and forward-looking.
Peel’s lyrics on songs such as rich piano ballad “Olive Mountain,” the wistful reverie “Crazy Eights,” and symphonic album-ender “Behold! (Lullaby for the End of Days)” all touch upon our modern malaise and the compulsive outrage that plagues this era of instant gratification and non-stop news cycles.
All the while, the urgent, yet spare rock anthem “Born on Fire” and the gentle, harmony-laden “All I Ever Wanted” prove that the band has not lost touch with their optimistic roots. Both the production and range of this record are the very good omens that herald where this band is headed in the future.
Jen Dan

Via GOOD NIGHT MAGAZINE:

There isn’t much music that I listen to that pulls double duty as far as song quality goes, not to mention being the perfect score for a scene from a movie I will never make. But the latest single “Bad Air, Still Water,” from Brooklyn-based alt/psych band, Futurist, definitely qualifies.

The new single comes out prior to the release of their new album Omens, and is the equivalent of a delicious appetizer before eating the rest of the four-course meal. It is satisfying yet I am still yearning for another bite. The drums pack a gratifying punch, carrying the momentum of the song while providing the perfect backing for Peel’s singing. His honest, full voice is by far the most vital part of the track. The guitar rings out clearly, occasionally carrying the lead while still giving all of the other elements room to breathe. “Bad Air, Still Water” manages to be both energetic and compelling, while retaining the atmospheric quality that holds the track together. Coming in at over six minutes in length, that is no easy task, yet Futurist manages and delivers it superbly.
Lead singer Curtis Peel shares of the song, “‘Bad Air, Still Water’ was inspired by the weight of it all. ‘Don’t pay any mind to the cynical. They don’t know any better.’ What do we do in those moments where we’ve fallen short of our higher self and are dealing with the disparity between how we thought it would be and what actually happened… and not succumbing completely to nihilism in the process. I think the tune is best summarized through the questions posed in the end of the song. ‘Is there no escape? Am I enslaved to this feeling? I mean am I even helping? Could you just in case, hold me responsible?’ We can’t really escape caring about who we are and the consequences of our actions, so we might as well embrace our autonomy as we move through so much that is out of our control.”
Having not released an album since 2011’s War is Yesterday, I am looking forward to the release of Omens this September, and I can’t wait to listen to the rest of what Futurist has prepared for us.
Lawson Nuland

Album Premiere: Futurist presents OMENS

Futurist premieres “Bad Air, Still Water”