Though their sound is a very unique blend of two genres that usually have nothing to do with each other, the resulting ambiance of Future Relative’s tunes is one of a tripped out soul journey that may leave you with a bit of an existential crisis. Like they say on their website, the unlikely duo that forms Future Relative takes influence from artists like “Underworld, Daft Punk, Depeche Mode and contemporary Electro artists like Deadmau5 and IAMX” and this influence really shows. A great rock-dance combination is hard to achieve but Future Relative has definitely exceeded greatness with this one.
The slight strain in the voices of the vocalists along with the suppressed, grungy way the lyrics are sung remind me of Nirvana at the same time that the synth and disturbed electric guitar instrumentals remind me of Deadmau5 and Sleigh Bells. Behind the chorus’ lyrics of “I, am a lonely hunter” is a passionately strained voice that expresses the darker emotive forces of a grunged out song like a Nirvana hit and with every fluctuating, alien-like electro melody one feels transported to a different dimension of flashing lights, lava lamps, glow sticks, and the copious usage of bongs.
One specific part of “Deep End”, a brief interval of hauntingly spoken words with an odd keyboarded melody, makes me think about how this song is a whole big bag of weird and about how I can’t believe Future Relative hasn’t picked up a greater fan base yet. One of the greatest things about a good song is that a good song will completely absorb you the moment you close your eyes and that’s exactly what “Deep End” does. When you listen to it, you actually feel like you could be diving into the deep end of a pool filled with ecclesial lights and transcendental waves. Though Future Relative has only got one EP on iTunes, I’m now joining fans in the hopes of new music and new tours (they’ve already been absolutely sensational as an opener for Australian electro-dance band Art vs. Science), and suggest you do the same.