Black Futures

Never Not Nothing

MuSiC For NatioNS

Post-apocalyptic tech-rock militia march on success.

Less band, more sci-fi military cult, Black Futures are two situationist tech-rock art pranksters called Space and Vibes who, when they’re not heading a shadowy nihilistic art commune called The Space Station or circling the globe from Chernobyl to Area 51 on creative Expeditions, are playing individually titled Experiments (i.e. gigs) featuring platoons of flag-waving followers in hazmat suits, and giant pyramidal monoliths bearing a mysterious, arcane symbol. The KLF meets Contagion, you might think; actually Black Futures are the sound of all our shattered tomorrows.

The trick is to live your art. As spliced with post-apocalyptic rebellion imagery as this ultraintense rave-rock/crank-glam/ future-funk debut album might be – and humour too: ‘Ten minutes till the end of the world! Let’s make love!’ goes the savage, Prodigyesque Love – their calls for social unity (Me. TV, featuring Bobby Gillespie intoning warnings of ‘hyper-capital zombification’), action against ecological disaster (Youthman) and an end to humanity’s cash lust (funk-thrash epic Riches) make up a genuine post-capitalist ideology they call Newtopia. Its tenets are delivered with a future-facing, soundclashing ferocity shot through with endearing melody; witness the cyborg psych of Karma Ya Dig!, robo-metal onslaughts like Body & Soul, and a weightless chunk of euphoric, limitless blissfuzz noise called Trance.

Arguably the debut album of the year already. ■■■■■■■■■■