Perfect Future

Perfect Future (2009)

Brian Shultz

Perfect Future have garnered comparisons to the more obscure members of '90s emo (New End Original), though being unfamiliar with such characters I'm not at liberty to severely agree or disagree. What I can say is that Perfect Future often sounds like an overlong, experimental full-length demo that might've resulted out of the Mineral, Knapsack or Braid camps when those bands first respectively formed.

What that in turn means is that there's a whole lot of rawness and untapped potential at hand here, but it's not without bearing an immediate bout of mild enjoyability. "Behold" passes along mathy noodling parts and eye-closed, fawning vocals, while "From Me to You" drifts along on a mostly slow, heartbreaking plane, otherwise filling the volume with overly organic yelps and guitars heavily strummed through seemingly busted amps.

More quiet ambition comes in "Make Fun," which slyly stops everything for a curt, lively acoustic part, and the more sparkly guitar attempts in "Roses & Roses & Roses." But "Mother Earth" just seems to lack direction, and not much really grabs your attention during the album's midsection.

If Perfect Future develops their focus and tightens their arrangements, they'll deserve a place beside the My Heart to Joys and Look Mexicos that are rapidly advancing the formula into new and exciting territory. For now, this is merely promising.

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Behold