Forgetting The Future - Broken Phones & Hormones
Release Date - 8 February 2020
I am a little behind the curve on this band and their recently released debut album, the guys sent me a message to ask if if I could give the album a listen and a potential review, and here we are.
The band are new to me and maybe the same for others so will start with some background info. Forgetting the Future are an indie rock act from the most Northerly part of Scotland called Thurso. They are Robbie McNicol (vocals/guitar), Connor Wilson (drums), Max Paul (bass) and Jamie Mackay (guitar) and were formed in 2014.
2018 was to be a big year for Forgetting the Future as they won the The SUBlist [The Scottish Unsigned Bands List 'Battle of the Bands' competition in November, the main prize being a recording with top L.A. producer Ken Allardyce who has worked with artists such as Greenday, Fleetwood Mac, Weezer and The Goo Goo Dolls.
In January 2019, Forgetting the Future were signed to Ken Allardyce & Alan Greer's record label InTime Records.
Their debut album "Broken Phones & Hormones" was released on 8 February 2020 and features the previously released singles Bluetooth, Cymru and Sara Tonin.
So the first observation of the album is the short song titles, brilliant for a blogger, thanks guys !!!
The first track Pause is a great intro to the bands sound with some sharp guitar riffs and a solid melodic vocal. Cherry has a short dark brooding intro before the song bursts into life and follows the style of the opening track.
Sara Tonin was one of their singles from the albums and is a great track again strong guitars and catchy vocals, backed up by well timed drums and bass, with a slightly less polished production, giving it a more punk feel.
Towers is a catchy number with a great drum beat and some soaring guitar riffs. Bluetooth follows and is another of their singles, and is the standout track for me so far, I imagine it is a fan favourite when played live with its anthemic chorus.
The next track Inhaler has a janglier feel about with an underlying guitar riff very reminiscent of some old rock and roll artists and is another bouncy indie banger. Alligator has a more rock feel to it, more aggressive sound, heavier drums and guitars and again imagine will be well received as a live track.
Fracture follows the same feel as previous track is a bit darker with some great guitar work.
Latch for me is the pick of the album, it is a fantastic indie rock track, with a great catchy chorus hooking you into the guitar riffs and fantastic vocals.
Confused starts off looking to slow the pace down to something akin to The Verve and it’s the one track I am a little disappointed with, I don’t think it needed to raise the pace of the song, I would have liked it to play out as more of a softer track, it’s well named in that respect.
And then we get 107 which is a slower acoustic number and confirms my thoughts that Confused would have worked in a similar vein, great guitar melody and strong vocals.
Overall, it’s an impressive debut album from the Thurso band, and hopefully will get the opportunity to catch them live if they venture further out into Scotland in the year ahead.
Track List
Pause
Cherry
Sara Tonin
Towers
Bluetooth
Inhaler
Alligator
Fracture
Latch
Confused
107
They do have some live dates coming up in the North of Scotland, so get along if you can.
Nairn - Taste of Nairn, Friday 3 April
Inverness - Inverness Ironworks, Friday 24 April
Forres - Forres Live, Saturday 9 May
They can also be followed on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Give the album a listen, it’s available on Spotify and all the usual streams.
https://open.spotify.com/album/2VGd94qhxduFBtdsmPjBML?si=nLM7hCQlQCKwBW3ZqMPJ0g