Review by Lucas Bell
There haven’t been too many albums this year I’ve anticipated as potential album of the year contenders. Bands like MØL and unpeople have been artists that have come across my desk and were immediate 10/10 hitters. One of my all time favorite bands in Karnivool, only got a 9.5/10 from me, which was shocking even to me. But there are two bands this year that I have waited with feverish anticipation for, for their new releases. Loathe, and Future Static. And with it being very close to the end of the year, it’s time for me to get stuck deep into the new Future Static record. Would this be another 10/10 for the year? Spoiler alert. Yes.
Ornaments & Memories is the Melbourne based band’s sophomore record, following up on 2023’s awesome debut, ‘Liminality’. Bolstered with some incredible music in the lead up, like ‘There’s Nowhere Else To Go’, the title track ‘Ornaments & Memories’, ‘Swing’, and most recently, ‘Waterworks’, the lead into this record has been very strong. And while sometimes, bands lead with the strong songs, and it makes the album seem a bit weak, these four tracks are just the tip of the iceberg.
Opening on the blistering track ‘Ephemeral’, this song is an insane start to the record. Drummer Jackson Trudel’s drumming on the opening to this song almost blew my eardrums out in the best way. From the jump, this has become a favorite for me off the back of just the first listen. ‘There’s Nowhere Else To Go’ was the first song released in the lead up to this record, dropping quite literally 366 days before the album’s release. I’ve been a big fan of this track since I heard it last year, and my love for it grows every day. The chorus on this song is just incredible, and that opening on the final chorus with the almost lack of instrumentation as vocalist Amariah Cook blasts every piece of herself into the “Sticking your head out of the window” line. Just a chef’s kiss of a moment.
‘Swing’ is another song that has had a minute of being out, but holy hell, to me, this is Kira Neil’s truest shining moment in the band. The duelling vocals of Neil and Cook on the verses is utter perfection, and the breakdown riffage from Ryan Qualizza and Jack Smith. Absolute insanity. This has been their set closer since it debuted, and I hope it remains in that spot forever, because that final breakdown live is something to behold. The tonal whiplash from ‘Swing’ into ‘Dream Suite’ is sick as well. Opening on a much more ethereal, prettier riff, it sinks its teeth in with the heavy shit immediately after. I don’t normally like to prescribe comparisons to other bands, but I feel this track might have been influenced a lot after touring with Lacuna Coil earlier in the year. Cook’s vocals hit Cristina Scabbia level goosebumps at times, and it makes the track feel even more cinematic.
With one of the best intro riffs of the album, ‘The Picture in You’ kicks in immediately and showcases Amariah Cook’s insane vocal range. The line “Cause the pieces in me are made to complete the picture in you, and then that repeats” hits in such a devastating way for me too. The next track, ‘Off The Map’, is a complete tonal shift. Kicking off with synths and an electronic drum kit, and some of the prettiest singing on the record, the tone shifts back into the rockier sound around 1:10 for the rest of the song. This has been one of my favourites not to be released yet.
The album’s title track ‘Ornaments & Memories’ has been the most lyrically heartbreaking song I’ve heard in the last five years. It’s been out as a single and part of the live shows for a little bit now, but it doesn’t get easier to listen to every time I hear it, in the best way. Whether it’s lyrics like “Take up an awful lot of space for nothing/Invest the time to clear your mind’s surroundings/So if you have a chance to walk away with your freedom/Just go” or the haunting screaming of the lyrics “Lay the coins down over your eyes/Remember someday we will all die”. Just an incredible track. ‘State of Mind’ continues the heaviness on a different scale, with more intro riffiness and bass from the guitar trio of Qualizza, Smith, and Neil, that is so low and slow I could cook a brisket with it. Filthy in the best way.
When I saw that ‘Odyssey’ clocked in under 2 minutes, I was wondering what this could have even been? Hard and fast? Soft and beautiful? It’s definitely option two. But with a secret third option. Pure mental devastation. I’m literally giving half the song away, but the lines “My eyes see only what’s in front of me/That view of you/Is so much more beautiful/Than the one that I see in the mirror”. This is for FS directly. Not cool to make a boy cry like this. But then, launching straight into ‘Waterworks’, what a choice. The ebbing and flowing of emotion coming from coming out of ‘Odyssey’ into ‘Waterworks’ was almost physical in a way I cannot explain. More awesome guitar work on this track. The riff on the intro that keeps appearing through the song scratches a specific itch on my brain that I just love.
After my first listen of ‘Subcritical Flow’, my immediate reaction was “this needs to be added to the setlist, IMMEDIATELY!”. This song is just fucking awesome. I mentioned earlier how ‘Off The Map’ is one of my favorite unreleased tracks, this is the other one. Holy shit what a tune. A big appeal to me about Future Static’s sound is the balancing between beauty and rage. If there is a song I’d need to show someone from now on, this will be THE song I pick. Especially that final chorus, holy hell. The dual vocals? Chills all over my body. Seeing ‘Lux’ be the longest song on the record, and last, immediately made me think the emotional damage wasn’t over. And guess what, I was right. And if the guitar intro wasn’t a hint, the full instrumentation being a bit slowed down and heavy in a different way set the tone. Everything about this song just feels big. I can’t explain it, but you’ll understand what I mean when you hear it.
I gave the spoilers away earlier, but this is a perfect album for me. Every song, every word, every note, felt like I was ascending into the sky as I listened. Especially on the slower songs like ‘Lux’, ‘Ornaments & Memories’ and ‘Odyssey’. But at the same time, songs like ‘There’s Nowhere Else To Go’, ‘Swing’, and ‘State of Mind’ are tracks that brought me back to earth, purely to throw my friends and myself through every wall I can find.
Comparatively to ‘Liminality’, while it itself not being a bad record in the slightest, ‘Ornaments & Memories’ delivers on every conceivable level, at a higher level, and elevates the band’s sound in every metric. The guitars are crispier, the drums are louder, the bass is pure filth (complimentary), and the vocals from all parties across the record is some of the best vocal work not only Future Static have done, but some of the best vocals I’ve heard all year.
Score – 10/10
Album Highlights: ‘There’s Nowhere Else To Go’, ‘Off The Map’, ‘Subcritical Flow’
