Several Futures

Mash together your favourite post-punk and noise-rock acts, add a dash of Glenn Branca influenced experimental compositions with some catchy hooks mixed in and you've got the intricate and expansive debut full-length, Before You Forget, from Several Futures. The 10-track album draws inspiration from the lofty ideas examined in futurism and science fiction, mainly the plurality of universes and possibilities therein; these themes are stretched and twisted to fit the unique creative output of Several Futures. Before You Forget marks a new step for this trio of musicians, whose connections span the last decade, with their embrace of the experimental and deep dive into a purely artistic ethos.       

Several Futures consists of Matt Nish-Lapidus (guitar, vocals), Jonny Dovercourt (bass, vocals) and Evan Davies (drums). With a pedigree spanning Toronto underground genres from shoegaze to dance-punk to post-rock to improvised experimental music, Jonny (who co-founded the long-running and highly influential Wavelength Music Series), Matt and Evan previously collaborated as members of bands/projects including Republic of Safety, This Mess and Hybrid Moments, but first came together in their current configuration in early 2014, self-releasing the Narrative Collapse EP in September 2014. Before You Forget marks the first release on their own label, Forking Paths.

Adhering to a fully DIY methodology, the album was self-recorded using a portable studio set-up at Toronto's Ratspace, while all the vocals and overdubs were done at Dovercourt’s apartment. Fittingly the Ratspace's owner, Robin Easton, previously worked as a guitar tech for Sonic Youth, and the space has fostered music by both Deerhoof and J Mascis as well as a glut of essential Toronto acts. Nish-Lapidus took the reigns on the mixing while Andrew McAllister, who worked with Republic Of Safety in the past, mastered the album.      

"Treading the line between contemporaries Cloud Nothings and classic post-punks Joy Division, Several Futures keep it fresh with a shifting compositional sensibility." Matt Bobkin, Exclaim!

Before You Forget doesn't attempt to create an intense narrative, though the structures inherent in the album are thoughtfully orchestrated. "We did focus on creating a mirror image song structure when we sequenced the album—you’ll find four pairs of songs that have been twinned, each pair with a similar feeling," says Dovercourt. Playing on this theme, reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, Before You Forget's songs "are twinned in a ‘Russian nesting doll’ structure, much like David Mitchell's experimental novel Cloud Atlas (1=10, 2=9, 3=8, 4=7, 5=6)". The sprawling and ambitious record plays with multiple movements in its crushing, noise-addled heavy riffs; think Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation. Several Futures are never afraid to showcase their impressively abrasive side without compromising pop song structure. Before You Forget is a choose-your-own-adventure genre balanced album, at once nostalgic for the height of ‘90s experimental noise, all while staying fresh and undeniably listenable.