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Oct 24, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Frank Hamilton

Future Islands have announced a new album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, and shared a new song from it, “The Tower,” via a music video. People Who Aren’t There Anymore is due out January 26, 2024 via 4AD. Jonathan Van Tulleken directed the attmospheric video for “The Tower,” which features the band on a beach, by a lighthouse. Watch it below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork.

Future Islands co-produced People Who Aren’t There Anymore with Steve Wright, who also mixed the album with Chris Coady. Future Islands is Samuel T. Herring (vocals, lyrics), William Cashion (bass, guitars), Gerrit Welmers (keyboards, programming), and Michael Lowry (drums).

People Who Aren’t There Anymore includes three previously shared singles. “Peach” was released in 2021. “King of Sweden” came out in 2022 and the band performed it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Deep in the Night” was shared in August via a music video and it was one of our Songs of the Week.

Tulleken, the director of The Tower video, previously worked with Herring on the recent Apple TV+ series The Changeling, which Herring acted in.

In a press release, Tulleken had this to say about directing the video: “Anyone who’s seen Sam on stage shape shift with his whole body and voice from heart wrenchingly tender to fantastically ferocious knows that he is a truly, magnetic, performer. This was no small reason why he was cast for a role in The Changeling where he plays a complex character who appears to be one thing whilst actually another. It was a role that would be no easy task for even the most seasoned actor but Sam, applying all his stage craft, charisma, smarts and natural empathy, absolutely nailed it producing a riveting performance. I loved working with someone who came to acting via this persona they had built in their music. To then get to collaborate on a music video with the band was a delight especially one which explores that duality of light and dark literally and metaphorically. Finding that same captivating, haunting, performance but this time with the track as script.”

The band’s last album was 2020’s As Long As You Are, which made it to #17 on our Top 100 Albums of 2020 list.

Read our interview with Future Islands on As Long As You Are.

In 2022 the band also shared a cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”

Read our 2014 cover story article on Future Islands.

People Who Aren’t There Anymore Tracklist:

1. King of Sweden
2. The Tower
3. Deep In The Night
4. Say Goodbye
5. Give Me The Ghost Back
6. Corner Of My Eye
7. The Thief
8. Iris
9. The Fight
10. Peach
11. The Sickness
12. The Garden Wheel

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