Future Us

Last night I saw the next big thing in a living room off Haight Street in San Francisco at a house party turned concert turned music video shoot. When you see music all the time and spend every day scouring the internet for something worth falling in love with, it’s moments like the one I’m describing that you wait for to make it all worthwhile. Last night I saw Future Us.

What a name! When I walk into the living room, swirling psychedelic visuals dance patterns across the wall on top of their logo, which reads FUTURE US and depicts 2 child astronauts rocking acoustic guitars. Megan and Daniel are setting up in front of this scene, between them they have an APC 40, Kaoss pad, a keyboard, bass, electric and acoustic guitar and an old school Elvis mic adjusted to an adorably short height because Megan is tiny.

You wouldn’t guess it unless you went and stood right next to her because when she saunters up there in a sideways snapback and picks up her guitar she looks enormous, especially when she gets on the mic in a raspy voice and gently whispers, “I want to fuck – shit – up.”

There’s a wall of sound when Future Us starts up and I can’t stop smiling because it sounds like Sleigh Bells, old Royksopp and Broken Social Scene with a totally modern twist I can’t compare to anything. “We have intricate parts but most of it is based on the ability to improvise and go with it, which is what makes playing the music so fun – it’s very in the moment,” explains Daniel. My favorite part of the show is when he runs over with a giant smile on his face to give Megan a kiss on her forehead, it’s their one year anniversary playing together and the gesture seems to say, ‘I still can’t believe you exist’. I can’t believe either of them exist and that they had the good fortune to find each other – she sounds like Etta James and he looks like a muppet up there, head bouncing and arms stretched between each musical component of the song they’re playing. Future Us is undoubtedly going to be on the festival circuit in the next few years and they might even change the game with this whole acoustic guitar/DJ concept.

I know Megan a little bit from LA, she was on her singer-songwriter hustle there a couple years ago – and what a death march that is. You’re in a city full of people trying to do the same shit you are, all the good venues are pay to play, and there’s next to no one eager to become a fan. It’s the ultimate Catch 22 – you have to break through and generate some hype before anyone wants to be your fan, but how are you supposed to get to that level in a city full of ‘artists’ who don’t see themselves as ‘fans’? I’m trying to imagine what kind of venue or label would stand behind a brand new experimental acoustic guitar/EDM project in LA and none come to mind because no one wants you til you’ve already made it.

After a year, Megan got frustrated and moved to the Bay to get out of LA for a little while – then she never came back. In the fishbowl that is the Los Angeles music scene where everything worth a damn in EDM gets sucked up into the mainstream and spit out just as fast and you can’t have a rock band that doesn’t lose money unless you have tons of friends to sell $10 tickets to every time you want to play a gig, how are you supposed to develop? Back in the old days before everyone and their mother had a recording studio in their bedroom, labels used to actually develop artists – if they heard a sound that was raw but had potential they invested in the artist like it were a business developing a product not yet ready for market.

Since that paradigm no longer exists, it makes sense to live in a community that serves as an incubator for the development process. If there’s still an underground music scene in LA, I have no idea where it is and neither does anyone else I know. But every time I go out in San Francisco I see something totally new and I see people who want in on the groundfloor. This is a place that supports artists and forms a community around any sort of good time. Since that’s all the underground really is, forming a community around some new art form or artists, I would argue that the underground has migrated north. More and more I’m finding boundary-pushing artists who gave up on LA and came up here to settle and prosper, I believe we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg of new music about to be coming out of San Francisco.

Check out the music video for ‘I Belong To You’ above (starring Megan’s luscious girlfriend Kirsten) and their Soundcloud, but be advised that in my humble opinion, the Future Us sound is not fully captured by their recordings at this time. My favorite is actually a live recording from their show this weekend of a new down-tempo track called ‘Masochistic’. And don’t get me wrong, you can hear the Future Us greatness shine through in their recordings – but once this sound gets in your bloodstream, you’re just going to want for a studio-quality recording played through really expensive over-ear headphones. Consider yourself in on the groundfloor, we are all Future Us. - thebpm.net

If one were to gaze into Future Us’ crystal ball, one would see we are headed toward “Organic Electronic Sex-Pop” and this turns out to be a pretty apt descriptor. Combining the edgy vocals of Megan Heavlin Ochoa and the organic and electronic instrumentation wizardry of Daniel Durrett, Future Us is electronica-dominated dance tracks with pockets of live instrumentation over provocative lyrical matter. And if you thing their description is a mouthful; wait until you try to swallow all of the multi-faceted soundscapes and dimensions on the EP.

The album opens with “No Good” which eases the listener into the electronica barrage to come with simple drum machine beat and intermittent clicks and clanks from keys. Megan’s lush vocal delivery drives the track until electric guitar riff work joins and the components of sound become a full sum of the parts. The electric guitar work is especially good and tight and melds well with the backing electronica. Acoustic strum and vocal interaction open “On My Mind” before surrendering slightly as the electronica builds in the background featuring piano ivory and synthy blasts a la dub step at the chorus. The dour feel of the cacophony adds to the sultry feel of the track as a whole and stays thematically intact with the sex ethos of the album. “Ride” comes out of the gate with the electronica on its sleeve. More strange backing beat of clicks and clanks usher this one into the first verse. The track plays out in a “vocals versus vibe” with nary an organic instrument to be heard. More backing electronic sequences open “In His Kiss.” Megan’s vampy vocal delivery conjures elements of sultry 30s lounge while the backing keys speak to contemporary electronica. The melding is at first jarring until the two facets finally find cohesion around the mid-track point.

https://www.facebook.com/wearefutureus

The focal point of the EP is Megan’s vocal delivery and the multiple facets she can achieve through them: raspy and gruff when needed and sultry and melodic when appropriate for the track feel. The electronica runs amok on the album and proves that Daniel has a command of electronic music and beat making. That being said, the organic instrumentation, when it appears, is good in its own right and it left me wishing there were more of it. If the ratio of the two could be brought more to balanced, I feel the tracks could expand into something more than a vocal/electronic tandem.

by Chris West – cwestlaz@gmail.com

I give this 3 Skopes.

http://www.wearefutureus.com - Skope

Calling their brand of music ‘electronic sex-pop,’ the San Francisco Bay Area’s, Future Us, seduces the listener with its quirky electronic beds. Listeners are treated to vocals rich with the soul like Alannah Myles (“Black Velvet”), the grit of Joan Jet, the pop-stylings of Gwen Stefani and the spark of Michelle Branch.

Lyrically the songs dive deep into layers upon layers of vulnerability and relatable experiences. Future Us relies on robust music orchestration to harmonize against strong vocals.

The seven-track collection includes “No Good,” a refreshingly tight upbeat number with a smooth guitar bridge. “On My Mind” has a numbing acoustic riff meshed on top of an echo-ing, delicate electronic music bed.

In “I Belong To You”, there’s a dreamy cascading piano key part draped with an electronic beat. This song feels warm and flighty. The electronica portion is not overpowering; singer/songwriter and guitarist Megan Heavlin Ochoa never feels like an afterthought. Her vocals are poised, her words comfortable. Her cohort, Daniel Durrett’s electronic work is staggering in the sense that he keeps the listener in tune with Ochoa’s commanding voice. Durrett’s ‘tennis match’ with Ochoa’s vocals never seems at opposite ends of the spectrum, but fine tuned like a couples’ game.

“Ride” is heavier in electronica than the previously mentioned tracks. It’s quirky – dirty sexy.

“In Your Kiss,” “Swooning” and “Fuck Shit Up,” round out the release. All are bold, consistent to the modern sound Future Us puts down. I dig it! Future Us ‘We Are Future Us’ garners a solid A rating. Get ready to dance, throw your fist in the air and shake up the music world! - HOT INDIE NEWS

No Good is an innovative blend of rock and electronic music, allowing the track to immediately catch listeners and keep them interested through the whole of this seven-track EP. A strong set of female vocals works alongside an emotive and technically brilliant instrumentation. The guitar that whips up at points during No Good provides additional narration to an already dense and detailed track. On My Mind has a slower burn; this track soars on the inimitable vocals and shuffling arrangements of the band. The slight EDM / dubstep influence that is peppered through On My Mind works; the band is able to ratchet up the tension and keep fans on the edges of their seats. I Belong To You keeps things fresh and interesting; the band is able to dig deep into the industrial and DJ-heavy electronic rock (Linkin Park) styles for a track that is tremendously passionate and alluring.
In Your Kiss is a track that will get listeners on the dance floor; the build-up to the chorus is incredibly fun, while the band is able to shift over to We Are Future Us’ penultimate track, Swooning. Swooning speeds things up slightly. This intense and dense composition will provide listeners with considerable replay value. Fuck Shit Up finishes this EP and really describes what Future Us are all about. The band lays waste to the music scene with this seven-track salvo, and in doing so, will gain legions of fans salivating for a full length.
While each of the tracks on We Are Future Us is radio-worthy, I feel that the smart musicianship and hard to define style makes Future Us into a must-hear act.
Top Tracks: I Belong To You, In Your Kiss
Rating: 8.4/10 - NeuFutur Magazine

San Francisco Bay Area duo Future Us, released this fusion of acoustic instrumentation and powerhouse beats. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Megan Heavlin Ochoa and rock frontman turned beatmaker Daniel Durrett make up this intense twosome who self future us describe their finished product as Organic Electronic Sex-Pop.
The songs here are alternately dense and spare constructs. With firey guitar leads over the top of opening number, “No Good,” this is a darker pop number, too rock for clubs and too dance electronica for rock radio, it could find a life with online radio or old fashioned word of mouth.
“On My Mind,” is another enthusiastic barn burner of a number. The song builds to a head of steam as Megan Heavlin Ochoa’s repetitions go from chorus to transcendent chant. “Ride” is pure electronica indulgence. Quietly burbling with energy that simmers below a boil, making it hard to resist as the dance floor beckons. The song is deliciously indulgent as it unravels and builds itself in no hurry whatsoever.
Closing number. “Fuck Shit Up,” really ought to be plastered all over all of the bands merch by now. She says it so sweetly as the beats come alive behind her with verve and a sense of purpose.
This seven song debut is fun and deceptive, Durrett and Ochoa show they are multifaceted performers and songwriters who have more than one idea in their bag of tricks. They also demonstrate a willingness to take chances. And this is why they will be a band to keep an eye on. Most anyone’s got a clever song in them. I can picture these two with a dozen notebooks of cramped writing, just trying to find the time to tell all the stories. - indiemusic.co

future us performed a few tracks live on air at FCC Free Radio back in November shortly after killing it in our first show back at The Connecticut Yankee. Give a listen to “I Belong to You” and “No Good” below, and make sure to come down to El Rio tomorrow night (1/23/13) to see the future of music as Jim Morrison so aptly described back in 1969. Discounted tickets are available here. - TurnStyle Music Group

future us will be performing this Friday night (11/9/12) at The Connecticut Yankee in support of Spidermeow. The duo is comprised of singer/songwriter, Megan Heavlin Ochoa and electronic artist Daniel Durrett. The two cutting edge artists are fusing the classic storytelling of folk, with the soundscapes and beats of electronica. Make sure to hear their innovative sound first hand this Friday night. Half price tickets are available here. - TurnStyle Music Group