Anything But Futures
Miami Horror-All Possible Futures (8.0/10)
Miami Horror seems completely content with where they are right now. Their music exudes happiness and prosperity, so perhaps it seems a little ironic that their album title suggests where they might go with their future. This band seems so relaxed and carefree, and it just seems like they go with the flow. Their future is definitely up for question, but for now I'm much more interested in their current effort. All Possible Futures is a pop filled fest with a very modern, yet very retro sound to it. It makes its fair share of New Wave shout outs, but it certainly sounds as fresh as any pop record today. The whole album just feels like one big shout chorus (in a good way)! You can sing, dance, and really just feel good while listening to this music, and that is all that matters. This band's music just feels really good in the moment, so lets just drop all this talk about the future for now, and just talk about this band's current state.
This album is filled with energetic, grooving instrumentals and it is evident right out the gates. American Dream starts with a very soft, humming tune that eventually grows into a dance track with a very catchy hook. Tracks 2 and 3 are both strong, but are ultimately relatively forgettable, but Cellophane makes you want to dance all night. While this instrumental can be relatively simple, it gets the job done, and it's charm is pretty enchanting as well. Wild Motion continues this trend of danciness, but is a little sharper. This tune is a little more unique to the band, and it includes a little more instrumentation than Cellophane. It is also one of the catchiest tracks on here, and feels more like a full effort from the band. After a nice interlude, the album picks back up with Colours In The Sky. This track has an M83-ish kind of vibe to it, and I really enjoy it. It does not pack the punch of an M83 tune, but it still is a nice little break from the very energetic, fast tunes occupying a lot of the album. All It Ever Was, is another one with an M83 vibe to it, but this track is more in the vein of a Midnight City. This track is very catchy and danceable, but yet it is pretty haunting as well. The instrumentation is very smooth on this track, and it just feels like being sprayed by a mist shower. It is very refreshing. The back half of this record to me, while pretty good is noticeably weaker though. Out of Sight and Stranger are very strong tunes, as well as the closer Forever Ever?, but ultimately some of these last tracks do not grip me the same way the beginning of the album does. Perhaps this is because the album is so long, that I begin to lose interest. Really, the album is not extremely long, but for the lack of variety on this thing sometimes, it does feel pretty long. Also, some of these songs just feel like rehashed versions of some of their earlier work. To me, this album could really have been stunning, but its best features are also its worst. It is very comfortable in its own skin, but it also does not have a wide variety of sounds on it. Ultimately, if anything, this puts Miami Horror in trouble for their future. That's why sometimes it is so hard to believe this record is called All Possible Futures. It just feels like a band that may not have much longer on top. Regardless, I still really enjoyed the bulk of this record, despite its occasional cheesiness and it's non-varied, and overly long format.
In the end, if you want something to just live life to, this thing does it pretty good. This record is perfect for dance parties, group gatherings, and an introduction to electronic indie pop, but it is definitely not all you'll want to listen to. This thing is pretty paper thin, but it does not try to be anything else, and for that reason it is still very enjoyable. Miami Horror have made a very solid electronic indie pop record, but the real question is will their future even be possible?
Best Songs: American Dream, Cellophane, Wild Motion, Coulours In The Sky, All It Ever Was, Out of Sight, Stranger, Forever Ever?
Worst Songs: Real Slow, Out of Sight, Who Is Gonna Save Us?, Another Rise Another Fall
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