Montreal rock ensemble Islands made an indie splash in ’06 with their breezy, mellifluous popadelic debut, Return to the Sea. The adventurous and progressive second effort, Arm’s Way, followed on a wave of dramatic symphonics in ’08. The third, Vapours (out Sept. 22, today, on Anti-), finds the band moving in a New Wave-wheeling and dance music-dealing direction. Vapours also marks the return of drummer and founding member Jamie Thompson, who split shortly after the release of Sea.
“I wanted to make this record in a very particular way, that was really analogous to his approach to music at this point in time — with drum machines and electronics,” frontman and creative force Nicholas Thorburn (aka Nick Diamonds) explained about his decision to invite Thompson back in a recent pre-tour interview with CL. “I just wanted a really fresh, minimal and immediate sort of approach to the record. And he was willing …”
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2000.