Kevin Bronson on August 13th, 2020

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Synth-pop maestros Future Islands will release their sixth album, “As Long As You Are,” on Oct. 9 via 4AD.

This week brought the arrival of the new single “Thrill,” a somber song that Samuel T. Herring says is “about battling addiction in Greenville, N.C., where Future Islands began. It’s about the isolation and fear we feel in our homes — in our society. It’s about sadness rising, and spilling over, our anger — spilling over, like the great Tar River. ‘Thrill’ is about the things we don’t talk about, beauty destroyed and left to crawl home. Beauty, like the river, that just keeps chugging along. It’s about the power of water and ‘what is it?’ when it’s above our heads, rising within and without. It’s about begging for help and realizing that sometimes you just have to go at it, alone. And keep rising.”

The new song is emotional opposite of the band’s chest-pounding July single, “For Sure,” which features backing vocals from Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak.

Future Islands have also announced that drummer Mike Lowry has joined the founding trio of Herring, William Cashion and Gerrit Welmers as a full-fledged member and songwriter.

Future Islands will be streaming a concert from their home base of Baltimore on Oct. 9. Tickets here.

||| Watch: The video for “Thrill”

||| Also: Watch the video for “For Sure”