“I can’t complain. I’m over it, I guess.
Scattered and gray, so
I hold it back
and keep it sugarless.”

‘Sugarless’

When I listened to this album the other day, it sounded so differently than when it came out in 2004. It felt a bit like the future then – all icy bass lines, stuttering beats, bleary-eyed lyrics, and a quiet cool. Even the name Future Perfect suggested a vision. I was living in their hometown L.A., saw them glide thru Coachella and the Natural History Museum, and thought they had something new(ish) for the city.

But this time, the mid-90s influence was blatant. Slightly affected vocals, slower tempos, the chunky guitars, the feedback. I heard the Pumpkins, Dinosaur, Jr., the Breeders, a little My Bloody Valentine. These cats just had the jump on the Silversun Pickups alt-90s mini-revival by a couple years. Who knew LA could be so retro? Or that the 90s, of all musical eras, would make a comeback? Still a cooler-than-you album and one badass woman on the skins. Mmm mmn. New album next year – will be interesting to see which direction they take.