Future Fears geared up for debut EP release
ALTERNATIVE pop four-piece Future Fears are preparing to release their debut EP ‘Lucid’ this week, which delves into ethereal soundscapes.
The band, which is fronted by Ballyfermot man David Duggan, first began life as a duo before expanding into a full band.
The EP offers three tracks of alternative pop with indie leanings and has producer Ray Traynor at the helm, who lists The Script and The Coronas among his producer credits.
Frontman David Duggan took some time out to speak to his local paper on the cusp of his band’s EP release.
What music taste does each band member bring to the band?
The great thing about the band is that we have so many influences. My inspiration comes from many sources, but Philip Lynott of Thin Lizzy would be my biggest inspiration when it comes to songwriting. I also love the sound of ’80’s bands like Tears for Fears, and how they structure their songs. I think we all take inspiration from the ’80’s. Our drummer Enrico’s style would be progressive rock with a hint of Phil Collins mixed in. Our guitarist Amy loves the blues and funk of Joanne Shaw Taylor, who is awesome. Our keyboardist Susan would be a major fan of Dusty Springfield, but brings many different styles to the band..
Your first single ‘Call My Name’ was produced by Ray Traynor, what was that experience like?
It was amazing! Ray has worked with many top bands like The Script, Aslan, One Republic and The Coronas so we knew we were going to get something special from him, but the great thing is he’s the most down-to-earth guy you will ever meet. He taught us a lot about the recording process, in a way that many bands at our current level would never get the chance to experience. Rather than getting us in and out, we took our time and developed the song to what it is today.
You’re releasing your debut EP ‘Lucid’ this week, what can you tell us about it?
We will be releasing it on April 28 for digital download on all streaming platforms such as iTunes, Spotify and Google Play. We will be having a physical release with a launch night towards the end of May, but that’s still to be confirmed. It’s been about half a year in development, so it will be great to finally have it out there in the world for people to listen to and enjoy.
The cover art for ‘Lucid’ is really striking, what prompted you to choose that image for the cover?
It took us a long time to reach the final product you see for the cover. We’ve gone from psychedelic imagery to crazy pictures of our faces, which I don’t think anyone would love to see! The common theme for the design of the cover was one of an eerie landscape that captures the ethereal vibe we were going for with the EP itself. I happened to have the image of the trees with a low-lying cloud, which was for another project I was working on, but I managed to do up a quick design using the image and that’s the one everyone liked. I was happy that they all loved it because coming up with design concepts can be really tedious. But we’re happy with the final product.
You recently covered a Queen song in a video on your band’s Facebook page, do you have any favourite covers that you like playing live or rehearsing?
We’ve been doing Queen’s ‘I Want To Break Free’ for a good while, which we love, but the latest song that seems to get the crowd going and which we love to play is ‘Everybody Want’s To Rule The World’ by Tears for Fears. It’s just one of those timeless classics.
What can audiences expect from a Future Fears performance?
You can expect a high tempo set with a few covers mixed in to get you up and dancing. We love crowd participation so you will definitely not be bored when you come to our show, but the only way to know is to actually come to one of our shows.
Future Fears will be playing a headline gig at Stage19 (formerly Tivoli Backstage) on April 27. Doors open at 8pm and admission is €5. Follow Future Fears on Facebook.
