Dear Future

Throughout the past few years, I've witnessed quite a few of these types of bands make their rise to the spotlight. By "these bands" I mean these down-tempo, soft-spoken, moody indie bands that have just enough of a bite to not fall into monotomy. The primary one seems to be Copeland, but there are quite a few of them that I see surfing through on this movement, including The Myriad, Lovedrug and now, Dear Future.

Dear Future's second EP, Can't Wait Any Longer, displays their knack for crafting sprawling soundscapes out of just the few instruments at their disposal. This, coupled with Brandon Ross' vocals (reminescent of both The Myriad and Coldplay) creates a sound that made me think of bands ranging from Lovedrug to U2. Their songs bounce between those influences as well, for example, the very Coldplay-esque chorus of "This Isn't Good Enough" perfectly transforms into the more progressive indie sound of "Eden." The band shifts back and forth from sound to sound throughout the EP, though they add enough of their flair to the tracks that they actually carve out a sound of their own. That is, I don't think I'd ever get a Dear Future song mixed up with any of the other artists mentioned in this review.

Overall, Dear Future's Can't Wait Any Longer is a pretty solid listen. I enjoy this ever-growing genre, and with this accessible sound, I wouldn't be surprised to see Dear Future become more well known in it.
- AbsolutePunk.Net

It's notable when a first encounter with a local band makes an immediate impression, for the act to feel surprisingly mature and ready for a larger stage. With their latest EP Can't Wait Any Longer, Dear Future quickly shows off a sound much bigger than the small town footprint of Pinckneyville, Ill., and does so with palpable enthusiasm and gusto.

"Eden" and the driving "You Are Loved" bristle with the fervent energy of the earliest U2 albums, infusing post-punk jangle and reverb with an epic, building hard rock twist. Guitarist Wes Chandler's powerful and melodic lines suggest an atmospheric yet motivated fusion of The Edge and Counting Crows' David Bryson. "This Isn't Good Enough" explodes with a statelier, far less self-important take on vintage mid-'90s Live, while the title track bounces along on a smooth bed of electric piano before shifting into an effortless chorus, full of irresistibly echoing guitar. These songs' sounds are typical of the glossy studio sheen that coats the EP. However, it's not to the record's detriment; rather than neuter the songs, it only serves to enhance their hook-laden, widescreen appeal.

"Hold On" channels Muse, retaining all of that band's attractive pomp and grandeur and incorporating a particularly explosive performance from the rhythm section, while wisely jettisoning Matt Bellamy's junior high sci-fi nonsense. Frontman Brandon Ross possesses a soaring, precise voice; he's effortlessly able to impart the confidence and swagger this type of power rock requires. Yet he's also surprisingly intimate, bringing to mind a significantly more self-assured Chris Martin or Keane's Tom Chaplin. Unfortunately, "Twenty" closes the disc on its least distinguished note. An earnest, but fairly generic piano ballad, it's by no means bad, but it exemplifies Can't Wait Any Longer's few faults: somewhat clumsy lyrics and an over-reliance on an increasingly tired post-Coldplay modern rock sound. These criticisms barely hurt Dear Future; their songwriting skill, honesty and lack of pretension easily overshadow weaknesses that would handicap less talented groups.

Although Can't Wait Any Longer displays little diversity or inventiveness, it serves as a soulful, passionate and remarkably assured statement of purpose. It establishes Dear Future as a noticeably talented band with tantalizingly large amount of room to grow.

RIYL: The first three U2 albums; Live at their most focused and without the messiah complex; the idea of Coldplay with balls; Muse, if Muse was actually bearable in any way - Mark Rengel

At a time when a lot of new bands are sounding more like Fall out Boy and Panic At the Disco rather than the high energy, larger than life sounding alternative rock bands of the 1990’s and early 2000’s, along comes Dear Life. The band, who at times sound like a cross between early Muse and U2, quietly released their debut EP in 2007 and has followed that up with another EP entitled Can’t Wait Any Longer. And though the group has obvious influences, they manage to somehow sound entirely unique throughout much of the release.

Right from the start, listeners are hit with waves of melodies that are sure to almost immediately hook them. Like some of the better bands in their genre, Dear Future has layered melodies that makes them feel larger than life and very atmospheric. At times it is fairly obvious that the instrumentalists have taken influence from both U2 and Muse, but the band never comes off as a mere clone of either group. By injecting their own ideas into this familiar melodic, soaring alternative rock style, Dear Future manages to stand out. And as if to display that they are also capable of other styles, the closing track “Twenty” showcases that the band can also pull off slightly darker acoustically driven material as well.

Dear Future’s vocalist, Brandon Ross, has a voice that perfectly fits in with the soaring melodies that the instrumentalists provide. His vocals are at times reminiscent of Muse’s singer Matthew Bellamy, though admittedly he doesn’t have quite as high pitched of a range as Bellamy does. But it is clear that Ross has a grasp on how far his voice is able to go, as rather than pushing it into ranges that would strain his voice Ross instead uses the pitches he is comfortable with to their full potential.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the Fall Out Boy and Panic At the Disco clones that have been invading commercial radio lately, but radio and MTV has become too full of that style. And what the commercial music industry really needs is more bands like Dear Future, who will remind listeners of a time when radio rock didn’t necessarily have to be watered down and could provide just as much atmosphere as their underground peers. Dear Future deserves to be at this level of notoriety, and here’s hoping that down the road they will achieve that status. - Chris Dahlberg