As Long As You Are

Future Islands gave drummer Michael Lowry a larger role in the making of As Long As You Are, with the band sharing production duties with Steve Wright. Samuel T. Herring's voice still carries the songs, but the arrangements give bass, drums and synthesizers equal responsibility for their movement.

“For Sure” combines a quick pulse with an open, yearning chorus. Slower passages reveal more detail in Herring's phrasing, where tenderness can become strain within a line. The electronic setting stays clear enough for those changes to register, keeping the record's emotional shifts close to its physical rhythm.