Sydney five-piece The Future Thrills soundtrack a summer’s day on shimmering debut EP Is It Real?
You might’ve already caught on to The Future Thrills with their 2023 single Look Up. Now, the Sydney five-piece have delivered on their promise with Is It Real?, a debut EP tracing the band from aughties nostalgia to sunlit indie rock.
The three-track project opens with the garage-bound guitars of Look Up, an angsty cut that transports us to the sounds of the 2000s.
Guided by a sneering vocal performance courtesy of Samir Sharma, Look Up brims with punkish attitude, from Tyler Hocks and Toby Zeuschner’s screechy guitar work to the propulsive drums of Josiah Southwell.
While all the staples of a grittier sound are there, The Future Thrills maintain an ear for catchy hooks and sing-along melodies, making their reflections on remaining present all the more infectious.
Veering towards more classic territory, second track Always Be The Same is carried by Lincoln Layt’s groove-laden bass, as Sharma adopts a more candid timbre.
If Look Up is an exercise in frenetic catharsis, then Always Be The Same is the comedown. Sombre guitar melodies and subtle synths form the basis of the band’s more tender ruminations on the things that “always fade away.”
“What do you care what other people think?,” Sharma pines on the second verse, “turning water to wine just to have a drink.”
Delivered with a palpable sincerity, the band pair their already stellar sound with equally impressive lyricism, which reaches its apex on EP closer Is It Real?
Spanning five and a half minutes, the title track at first feels like quintessential indie rock, bound by sun-drenched guitars and Sharma’s most ascendant vocals yet.
There’s a surf rock feel to the song’s opening opening moments, with its summery synths and sparse production, but it isn’t long before Is It Real? reaches anthemic heights.
Here, the band combine efforts for lush instrumental sections, brimming with fuzzy guitars and shimmering cymbals.
At once recalling their peers in Ocean Alley or Spacey Jane, Is It Real? feels like the effortless combination of the tracks that came before it; a distillation of The Future Thrills’ sound in all its euphoria.
Throw in a guitar solo from Tyler Hockey-Smith and you’ve got a fitting closer to an EP that’s sure to usher in The Future Thrills’ breakout moment.
Listen to The Future Thrills’ debut EP Is It Real Below.
