The Future Now

The Future Now [7-inch] (2011)

John Gentile

The Future Now create an interesting mix of post-punk genres on their debut seven-inch. "Hangman," the A-side, seems to start of with a hardcore rumble, only to fade to picking that seems to be equal parts Gang of Four and Nirvana, before rising to a soaring chorus, only to drop down to a Melvins-style drone. While that might be a lot to take in, the Future Now are able to see the common thread in those bands and isolate it, making the parings seem natural instead of forced. Just like the aforementioned bands, the lyrics seem to have a direct meaning to the authors, but because abstractionism plays a big part in the lyrical construct, listeners are invited to interpret the pieces as they will.

The flip side, "The Runaway," seems to reach towards classic rock with a twisting riff and cleaner vocals. While the grunge influence is still apparent, the clean chorus suggests that the band doesn't see grunge so much as a blueprint as an interesting part of a bigger picture.

The Future Now is off to an interesting start not their debut, and they quite clearly know how to use the tools they've been given. With a little more space, it will be interesting to see how they spread out their various sounds into a longer statement and to see if they can craft an identifiable sonic base from which to launch themselves.