Members Scott Lawlor and Adam Schalke from Los Angeles based grunge/psychedelic/pop rock band The Future Exes believe music is best when it comes from the heart. The guys saw Dave Grohl’s documentary Sound City and couldn’t agree more with the message. Rock has been crippled in the last decade by auto-tune and excessive editing, resulting in a watered down product that appeals to the lowest common denominator to maximize profits.
As a response, they decided to jam and record the 1st ideas that came to mind. After the first pass of drums and guitar were laid down, they would then layer bass and additional instruments on top. A few hours later, a song was born. The Future Exes debut EP ‘First Thought’ feature 5 of the songs written and recorded in this raw and spontaneous manner.
This monster of an Ep begins with ‘Nowhere To Go’, a great opener which is a heavy rock showcase with powerful bass-lines and furious vocals. The following track, ‘She Got The Best Of Me’ is one hell of a slowburner. The guitar work is really atmospheric and chilling, coupled with a killer chorus. ‘Recognize’ and ‘Simple Lie’ are the epic sounding tracks of the Ep, while in between sits the rock n’ roller ‘She Can’t Sleep’.
The Future Exes crafted a sonically compelling and rhythmically complex Ep, full of smart guitar riffs and tight rhythms. They combine elements of classic rock, metal, grunge, and psychedelic into a very unique raw rock style. For starters, the band has quality musicianship and great vocals which obviously help achieve their magnetic sound.
Place Your Banner Here!
With that said, I’ve given this album a listen several times over the course of the last week, and quite honestly, in 2013, you really won’t find anything else out there like ‘First Thought’. It is inventive, progressive and highly inspired music, yet feels classic at the same time. It is a marvelously dynamic recording, which actually feels like a cohesive rock experience from start to finish lyrically, musically and thematically.
The Future Exes have the same ability as the popular nineties grunge bands, to weave a tapestry of hard and classic rock vibes that appeal to a very broad audience. They have filled their Ep with awesome riffs, wailing vocals, haunting melodies, and euphoric interludes you simply can’t resist.
‘First Thought’ rocks all the way through. It brings everything that’s great about rock music, into the 21st century and I can’t recommend an album more emphatically than this one. In short the album contains absolutely beautiful arrangements, which are sonically fascinating and powerful, while every listen reveals some new layer. The Future Exes are furiously intense and uncompromising. I will be listening to this for a while!
OFFICIAL LINKS & WEBSITES:
Place Your Banner Here!
4 Comments
Pingback: The Future Exes: âFirst Thoughtâ Rocks All The Way Through! | indiemusicshouts
AJ
Grunge is alive and well with these guys! Finally, some real rock music – thanks for the tip!
Milo Heidberg
I’ve been following this band for a while now! Really good stuff – I think one of the guys in the band wrote a song that was on the Tony Hawk soundtrack for one of the games. Can’t wait to hear more!
Crystal
Such a great find! Can’t wait to hear more from these guys!