By Jonny Bakes
Often music can be used to convey very sensitive, and even very personal subjects. There are scores of artists out there who will channel their own personal experiences into their songs, often resulting in something that is instantly relatable. This is exactly the impression I got when I took out my crystal ball and looked into Future Palace.
This is the Berlin trio’s first album to see the light of day since their inception in 2018 and it’s certainly something that has caught my attention. The title ‘Escape’ gives a pretty clear idea of the theme of this album, and it’s a theme that is incredibly personal and relatable to many. Each track fits together to tell tales of toxic relationships that result in a loss of self before finally managing to carve an exit and be able to escape to begin the rebuilding process. Each track is so drenched with raw emotion that it’s clear that this album is born out of catharsis and this results in something that is almost chilling to listen to. I really could not get enough of this and have had to listen to it a good few times already!
Musically, Future Palace take a central post-hardcore sound but draw in elements of 80s and electronica to put their own twist on it. Annoyingly, it sounds exactly like a band that I’m familiar with… but I can’t put my finger on who! I would say though that if you were to imagine something that sits in-between Flyleaf and Paramore (in their early days) on a sliding scale, on the heavier end, then it would be pretty close. The lyrics are the obvious focal point of this album, and with that comes the vocals of Maria (aka PandaCore). She absolutely delivers each line with goosebump-inducing passion that managed to invoke some emotion in my grim and frostbitten heart.
‘Maybe’ was one of the songs that particularly stood out to me, for two reasons. Firstly, the simple piano melody that accompanies the vocal introduction is exquisite, and this leads through into a powerful song that tells of the difficulty in reaching out for help – “I scream, but nobody is listening… I hope that you’re doing better than I am”. Now the second reason this stood out is that we get to revisit ‘Maybe’ at the end of the album in the form of a stripped back version and…wow. This rendition of the song is seriously haunting and shows just how personal this is to Maria. There’s nothing here but a piano melody and Maria’s voice and yet this is still just as powerful, if not more so, than the full band rendition we heard earlier.
If Future Palace continue to write albums that are as raw and honest as ‘Escape’ is, then I would expect them to explode over the next few years. This album is a perfect example of how powerful music can be as an outlet to express the darker side of the human mind. But more importantly it shows how even the darkest of times can eventually bloom into something beautiful, even though it may not seem it at the time. Well, look at that, ‘Escape’ has really been very thought provoking for me and I’ve connected with it in a way I really did not expect, which just goes to show how powerful it is!
I would recommend that everyone check this album out, be honest. I mean, yeah, it will appeal to fans of The Word Alive, Dream State and possibly even the less mainstream of Taylor Swift’s music, but I think this deserves the attention of those who would not normally consider bands of this ilk. In fact, I challenge you all to not find yourself being sucked in by the power of this album!
- ‘Escape’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
- All content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.