Synthpop group Future Islands started out as a performance-art project/band called Art Lord & The Self-Portraits to critique art world pretentiousness with music. ∙ After their first group broke up, three remaining members rebranded themselves, combining two potential new names—Future Shoes and Already Islands—into one. ∙ They conceived the term “post-wave” to describe their music, saying they “sound like Joe Cocker fronting early New Order.” ∙ A diagnosis of Reinke’s edema forced frontman Sam Herring to compensate for not being able to hit certain notes by growling, now a trademark of his vocals. ∙ The band’s 2014 on performance on The Late Show with David Letterman went viral, becoming the show’s most-viewed music video. ∙ “Seasons (Waiting on You)” was named best song of 2014 by Pitchfork and was ranked No. 94 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs of the 2010s. ∙ Former Art Lord & The Self-Portraits percussionist Kymia Nawabi provided cover art for most of the band’s releases, which—as former art students—they consider integral to their image.