Autolux
Future Perfect

A truly promising debut by the Autolux, a young trio from Los Angeles who, about a year after their debut on the American market, present the interesting "Future Perfect" to the European audience. Despite the limited experience of the three members, who have only a few appearances in bands from the Los Angeles scene, their music seems to have attracted the attention of Trent Reznor (who is lately proving to have great talent scout abilities besides being a musician) who took them as a support group for some dates of his latest tour for the new Nine Inch Nails album.

In fact, "Future Perfect" is a very inspired work that highlights excellent compositional skills and makes us understand that the three truly have great musical talent. However, the most noticeable aspect is the numerous influences of fundamental bands in the history of '80s and '90s Rock. The first and most obvious of these is the unforgettable and unforgotten Sonic Youth, who seem to hover throughout the album (especially in the sound of the guitars) and represent the main reference, although, in reality, there are many bands that come to mind when listening to this album from Yo La Tengo to My Bloody Valentine.

Regarding the listening experience: the opening is entrusted to fairly controlled tracks with almost rarefied atmospheres that nevertheless recall the typical Rock sounds especially in the slightly distorted guitar sound that permeates the whole work. Especially noteworthy are the dark yet splendid "Subzero Fun" and "Sugarless," one of the most catchy tracks. In the second part, there are more energetic and immediate episodes like "Robots In The Garden," a short but intense song that stands out as the best track on the album, accompanied by splendid ballads, among which "Asleep At The Trigger" stands out, an atmospheric piece where the almost whispered voice seems to have emerged from one of the best post-rock albums.

In the end, the album is quite homogeneous and is pervaded by engaging atmospheres that seem to hover between dream and reality. The only flaw that can be found in this work is perhaps the lack of personality of the three, who, despite crafting a distinctive album, do not add anything that has not already been said or done by others, merely drawing from numerous (and excellent) reference points. But, considering the current times, one must know how to be satisfied and indeed praise the excellent result, hoping it bodes well for a long and more impactful future.