As Long As You Are
| Future Islands
As Long As You Are
As Long as You Are (styled as As Long As You Are) is the sixth studio album by American synth-pop band Future Islands, released on October 9, 2020. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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NME
existential bangers from Baltimore’s most eccentric band.
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Pitchfork
The Baltimore band goes back to the well for another record of languorous, heart-on-the-sleeve synth-pop that hits all its marks but smacks of diminishing returns.
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Slug Magazine
If you want to listen to modernized ’80s synthpop, this is the album. I can’t put my finger on what makes As Long as You Are nostalgic to me, but it just does. It’s reminiscent of various feelings that anyone can experience, which can be quite hard to firmly grasp. Let yourself sink into As Long as You Are, because it will pull you in, just the way that you are.
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mxdwn Music
As Long As You Are is an album filled with pure intentions and heart, refreshingly real and undeniably euphoric. Future Islands certainly didn’t “lose the dream”–this album is the dream. With its synth beats and touching lyrics, it will remind listeners of the intense feeling of being human.
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The Guardian
A sixth album from the Baltimore synth-pop band finds their music as urgent and impassioned as ever.
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The Independent
This is the band’s second album since their big, viral moment and they’re still happily swimming in the same warm currents.
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Overblown
Baltimore synth pop/rock legends Future Islands are back and they’re back with a bang.
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musicOMH
As Long As You Are is an endlessly rewarding listen, and it’s certainly worth the wait, but did you really expect anything else?
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Clash Magazine
Future Islands’ newest offering Samuel T Herring is graced with the gift of story telling, and throughout the album - as he has done for the last decade – continues to pour his heart into every available crevice.
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All Music
It's worth checking out for the songs that work -- the group certainly haven't lost their touch when it comes to uptempo gloomy synth pop -- and the less successful moments aren't enough to sink the album entirely.
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Loud and Quiet
Songs are able to breathe, with new introspective sounds developing and blossoming, such as the plaintive middle-section of ‘I Knew You’ and the simple, ricocheting beat of album closer ‘Hit The Coast’. As Long as You Are is the rejuvenated sound of a band who finally found what they are looking for. Dive in.
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PopMatters
Future Islands' sixth album, As Long As You Are, is more of the same -- deeply confessional synthpop -- and that's a beautiful thing.
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The Line of Best Fit
Melding melodic punch with brooding gloom, Future Islands’ role as new wave torch bearers is assured on a sixth album gilded with emotional and sonic depth, symptomatic of their rising status as seasoned songsmiths.
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Paste Magazine
The Baltimore indie greats serve up another moving and epic synth-pop endeavor.
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The Daily Nebraskan
Overall, “As Long As You Are” is still a solid record. Herring is as charismatic as ever, and the lyrics should give each listener at least one topic to ponder and reflect upon. It’s just a shame that Herring has to do much of the heavy lifting.
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Consequence of Sound
Future Islands’ As Long as You Are Is Familiar yet Captivating.
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Beats Per Minute
A bracingly personal listen, As Long As You Are is as impactful as the follow-up to Singles should have been; it’s the sound of a band taking control. Here, Future Islands show they’ve no issue making up for lost time, and their sixth offering is more than a mere course correction; in a number of ways, it’s their most expressive record yet.
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Spill Magazine
Overall, this is a brilliant album, a triumph of lyricism and sound from one of the most distinctive bands in the world today, an album in which every song achieves poignancy. Like their past work, at some point you realize just how personal all of this is to him—what an artist he is—every song imbued with passion and honesty that is often heart-rending and tender at the same time that it’s pulling you up out of your chair to dance.
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The Student Playlist
Emotionally unshackled but musically pristine, the contrasts of Future Islands’ sixth album ‘As Long As You Are’ make it their most rewarding so far.
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Edinboro Now
This album is remarkably cohesive – no easy task. Future Islands switches up each song enough to keep it interesting while maintaining their tone throughout the record. The accompaniment is impressive and plays a vital role in setting the mood, but without Herring’s passionately frayed baritone vocals, this album would be far less appealing.
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London Evening Standard
Mellow, magnetic album is among their best.
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Commedia
The first half of the record trudges along with an awkward pairing of vocals and music yet the band picks up the slack toward the back half. This offers a more cohesive sound and one that shows flashes of the potential similar to that seen on their “Letterman” performance so many years ago.
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Secret Meeting
Given their distinctive sound, the dynamic of Future Islands’ records has always felt quite slight. As Long As You Are though makes the most of the band’s key components to create a flowing, melodically-rich and – more than anything – interesting record for us to listen to.
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Narc Magazine
With its deft blend of misty-eyed optimism and uninhibited jouissance, as tenderly refracted through the poignant candour of Herring’s lyricism, As Long As You Are positions Future Islands squarely at the vanguard of their compeers – and you just know they’re dancing all the way to the bank.
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Live4Ever Media
Future Islands don’t have to say it: As Long as You Are is a far better album than their last. Whether on the other hand Letterman will ever release them is unlikely. Whether they should care is another story.
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The Digital Fix
As Long As You Are may lack the consistency to take you on the emotional journey it promises; we get snapshots of the energy Future Islands bring to their gigs, but it’s the slower, new-found spiritualism of tracks like ‘Glada’ that makes waves.
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Hotpress
They may be around since 2006, but on the evidence of As Long As You Are, Future Islands are just hitting their peak now.
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Stereoboard
The accumulation of such eclectic sounds invigorates ‘As Long As You Are’, as does the obvious happiness on show. After years of waiting for a sniff of success from within their cocoon, Future Islands have now emerged into a vibrant thing of beauty.
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Earbuddy
While we may not get the treat of a live Future Islands’ experience in the near future, As Long As You Are captures all of the emotion and passion.
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Vinyl Chapters
expectations of Future Islands’ albums were already set high and it’s fair to say that they have delivered with this latest release. Although there aren’t any standout singles, all the tracks on As Long As You Are collectively form a rich, expansive and poignant listening experience exploring themes of love, life, and deeply personal issues.
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Giglist
Future Islands manage to conjure new and exciting scenes from their old ways. As Long As You Are is a return to form, with a few new tricks up their sleeve.
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inews
polished, reflective and dark.
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Stack
Baltimore’s Future Islands stun once again with their sparkling synthpop that is equal parts melancholic and uplifting.
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