FUTUREPROOF PICKS – Best of 2024

Ho Ho Ho!

Happy Christmas everyone. Here’s our fave 10 from 2024’s Futureproof Picks. Enjoy and have a fantastic fizz filled Christmas. See you on the other side ready for a wonderful 2025!

With love

Helen (Futureproof) x

Sunflower Bean – Teach Me To Be Bad

New York based rock trio Sunflower Bean‘s powerful track Teach Me To Be Bad is taken from their recently released EP Shake. “I don’t even know your name,” Julia Cumming sings in the opening lines across a searing riff. “But I love you all the same.” According to the band, the track is about “a chance meeting with a special person can change your life forever. It can be exhilarating and frightening to fall madly for someone you barely know.” The song takes elements of some of the better luminaries of rock ‘n’ roll: a blues rock hook that sounds like the sinister twin of Joan Jett, vocal howls recalling PJ Harvey at her most primal and drums that channel the lashing intensity of Black Sabbath‘s timeless “War Pigs”. It’s a belter for sure!

Blondshell, Bully – Docket

Blondshell has teamed up with Bully for the captivating new single Docket. Blondshell states “For me this is a song about splitting off from yourself. It’s about uncertainty when you’re in different environments all the time. In a way it’s about wanting to cope with distance and change but it’s also just a bit about being reckless … I had space on this song for another person and I kept hearing Bully’s voice on it. I’m a huge fan of hers”. Bully explains: “I think she is incredible and I was over the moon that she asked me to be a part of her song.” Blondshell‘s subtle New York drawl combined with Bully‘s country twang makes for a winning combination on this belter – loving it!

Father John Misty – Screamland

Singer-songwriter Father John Misty has dropped formidable new single Screamland, taken from the upcoming album Mahashmashana and it’s a sprawling, expansive track which clocks in at just shy of seven minutes. “Stabbing at the ashtray like it might give up the truth,” he sings in Screamland. “Like it might finally confess who else you’re nearly faithful to.” The artist (aka Joshua Tillman) then delivers a powerful refrain over a grand instrumental: “Stay young/ Get numb/ Keep dreaming/ Screamland.” The single is accompanied by a vertically-shot music video, directed and edited by Estefania Kröl. Great songwriting & vocals on this epic belter from Father John Misty as always – no problem with the length here!

Alexandra Leaving – My Sunshine

Topping off a year of fervent releases before the winter festivities are upon us, West Midlands’ latest export Alexandra Leaving comes with My Sunshine – a bright and uplifting offering that layers up the guitars in a masterful way thanks to her continued working relationship with Wolf Alice producer Michael Smith. With flecks of Grace Slick poking through in the vocal delivery, the mix of big guitars and arresting lyrics are accompanied by the longest of snare rolls into the chorus which holds the tension perfectly. To top it all off, the simplicity in the chorus melody makes for a highly accessible sound & so you have another great record from this One to Watch in 2025 artist – nice one Alex!

Katy J Pearson – Maybe

Katy J Pearson has shared a fresh slice of sun-soaked pop in new single Maybe from her upcoming album Someday, Now. Katy states: ““I’ve had this song with me for years now— it took a while to get there… When I was in the rehearsal room with Huw Evans [H. Hawkline], a few lyric tweaks happened. The chorus used to be ‘maybe I need your love / to show me that I’m good enough’ and he was like, ‘Why are you being like this to yourself? It should be the other way round!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, ok, thank you, feminist ally in the room.’ When a man’s telling me what to do in a studio I can get my back up pretty quickly, so it was brave of him to suggest it, but he was right.” Katy’s new album is shaping up to be her most confident yet, packed with catchy hooks and warm vibes. She’s also hitting the road with a series of in-store gigs during release week, followed by a full-blown UK headline tour and European dates with The Last Dinner Party.

Sophie Kilburn – Body On The Inside

As with her previous release Body On The Inside, this arresting, hands in the air track by Derbyshire born Sophie Kilburn has a richness in both production and melody that gives it a wide appeal. Storytelling in the lyric make it easy to connect with too and the songwriting harks back to classic song structures and arrangements while still feeling fresh, vibrant & new. Multi layer vocal textures towards the end only add to the anthemic feel of the track, which is the 2nd offering to appear from Sophie’s upcoming EP Don’t Make Me Angry. Getting the balance between indie and mainstream appeal is no easy feat to accomplish and Miss Kilburn does it with style – definitely one to watch…

Etta Marcus – Death Grips

Etta Marcus has shared a new single and states: “Written four years ago, Death Grips has taken many life forms. As I grow up, I find the meanings of songs change. Death Grips became one of those songs. At that time, the ending of my teenage-hood came hand in hand with the ending of my first relationship. Mourning the loss of both these things, I felt stripped of identity, frustrated and suffocated like most teenagers do. The drama of it all took shape in the form of this song. Over ten versions written and finally it decided to make itself clear this year. It took one day of lyrical changes and transposing it onto a piano for the intention to feel newly relevant to me. Violent yet soft, the drama is still there but it’s all grown up now.” Great songwriting and beautiful vocals on this haunting track.

The Voidz – 7 Horses

Experimental offshoot of The Strokes, The Voidz have shared the single 7 Horses, taken from their new album Like All Before You. It’s a track that at times seems vaguely influenced by reggae and dub traditions, although the melodic guitars sound very typically Voidz and the single is calmer and more structured than the average Voidz song. The lyrics seem to be about personal failure and fear – in addition to abstract imagery about seven horses with whom Julian rides to hell. The highlight, however, is undoubtedly the guitar solo in the final minute that introduces the beautiful outro. Experimenting with vocal sound is not new for the cult singer: the lo-fi sound of his voice is partly what makes the first Strokes albums so special.

P&B – Waste My Time

Singer-songwriter duo P&B (aka Paris Ashwood & Bob Tinsley) have shared their infectious new single Waste My Time – a track that explores the disconnect felt for things that you’re no longer in love with & getting lost in the process of trying to rediscover yourself. Bob says of the release “It’s always one of the last ones in our set & goes down well with the audience every time. Usually, it’s just the two of us playing it, so it’s great to finally give our listeners a fully-fledged studio version with a full band sound.” With Paris’s love for the country style, her lyrics & vocal melodies have a dramatic & emotional emphasis while Bob’s background in funk, soul & jazz, makes the instrumental element of their music very intricate at times, with a few rock & blues influences appearing in the form of tasteful guitar lines & solos. A real ear-worm for sure!