Future Islands can still swell and surge, but this release turns toward something quieter and more reflective. “This is for everyone who has carried these songs with them,” Cashion explains, “from the first house parties to the rooms we’re playing today.”
Over the past 20 years Future Islands have travelled a rare arc, from promising newcomers to best-kept secret, from cult favourites to heroes of the genre. As they reach this remarkable milestone, they resist the obvious move. Instead of a ‘best-of’ compilation victory lap, Future Islands present “From A Hole In The Floor To A Fountain Of Youth”, an immediate and accessible collection — half of which has never appeared on streaming services — comprising alternate hits, rarities, and fan favourites that showcase the band’s palette and bring further colour to their uniquely universal appeal.
As the title suggests, this double-LP traces the group’s journey from humble origins toward ever-widening horizons. It has 20 songs for 20 years, from four members of the band, on four sides of vinyl. Future Islands have always been more than a viral moment; their career contains extraordinary depth and nuance, often overshadowed by louder peaks. These songs reveal a band comfortable with subtlety, grace, and emotional endurance – and they have never sounded more eternal.”
The songs were first gathered into a playlist by bass lynchpin William Cashion, who also chose the title – “I’ve always loved the imagery of that lyric,” he makes clear, “The hole in the floor is the everyday, but the fountain is the magic that happens when the life you dreamed about actually becomes the one you’re living. It’s the dream and the reality existing in the same room.” A well-known Tennessee Williams quote talks of this kind of duration – “time is the longest distance between two places.” It is time that really separates the floor from the fountain.
Coinciding with both the album and their 20th anniversary, Future Islands is also in the midst of a run of hometown shows across North Carolina (Wilmington, Carrboro, Asheville, and Greenville) and Baltimore — the ‘Fountain of Youth Tour’ — with support from friends and collaborators including Dan Deacon, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Lonnie Walker, and more. Tonight, they perform in Asheville at The Orange Peel.
The Fat Angel Sings 