Future Static – Fatalist EP Review

When I go to check out upcoming releases from post-hardcore bands, I give them a try through a quick skim of their recent singles to determine how invested I am in their work. Upon finding Future Static, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen for their “Dead End” video. With such a massive, tight sound, I thought I had missed out on a well-established, big-time band, but, upon further investigation, Future Static is still in their infancy. I am excited to bring you a review of their new EP Fatalist due out April 3rd!

Fatalist begins with “Growth,” which comes off as an interlude-y track. Typically, this would occur as a segue somewhere in the middle of an album as a tonal shift, but beginning a release with it is an interesting move as there is nothing to precede it. Thankfully, it transitions into the next track perfectly.

“Choke” is the first of two singles on Fatalist. Layering two guitar riffs and letting drummer Jackson Trudel flaunt theer stuff makes the instrumentation just as compelling as vocalist Bri Marsh’s performance. Switching up the verses and incorporating a bridge makes for a breezy listen.

“Dead End,” the track that reeled me in to Future Static, is next. Hearing Bri have the range to go into lower registers as well as deliver fast-paced and aggressive attacks is refreshing and a pleasure to hear. The bridge-into-breakdown is bar none with the rest of the genre in both execution and composition. The unclean vocals in the outro are goosebump-inducing.

The fastest song yet comes with “Never Miss” at a breakneck pace. The vitriolic lyricism matches the heaviness of the instruments. Whispers before the screams bring out the emotional connection of the vocals; it is evident that these words come from experience from their composer.

A 1-minute track follows, in “Adaptive Manipulator,” sticking to unclean vocals and even utilizing blast beats. Short-but-sweet, this is reminiscent of A Day to Remember’s brief “You Already Know What You Are” off Homesick; I’m sure Future Static would make ADTR proud.

Last but not least, title track “The Fatalist” helms sentimentality with a more mellowed, evocative delivery. The crunchy bass, which gets the spotlight more than once on Fatalist, makes itself known in the second verse. Vocalist Bri’s chops are most visible in this song’s chorus, where she takes notes up-and-down with ease.

I’m quite surprised to see such masterful post-hardcore from a relatively-unknown source. Future Static has what it takes to make an impact in the scene, and are deserving of a big break with the Fatalist EP. This band comes highly-recommended, and is worth a listen come April 3rd!