I Fight Dragons – The Near Future
Review by Annette Schaefer
After breaking away from Atlantic Records, Chicago band I Fight Dragons decided it was going to create its sophomore full length album independently. So in the summer of 2013 the band announced Project Atma via Kickstarter to create what would become The Near Future. I Fight Dragons annihilated its goal of $20,000 by raising over $115,000 to create this new album. Despite a few setbacks and having to push the release date back several times, The Near Future has finally come to fruition and it’s safe to say that the wait was well worth it.
The album consists of 15 tracks which seems daunting until you consider the fact that almost half of those are small instrumental bits. Besides all that, not a single one of the 15 songs is boring or necessitates skipping. Even the usually unneeded in-between pieces are worth listening to.
This album is everything you would want from an I Fight Dragons record. The album features the same signature 8-bit meets upbeat pop/rock sound the band is well known for. These songs aren’t exactly artsy or ground breaking and they really aren’t a far cry from the last record, but they are fun, super catchy, and you won’t want to stop listening to it from beginning to end.
While the band seems to have stuck with the sound that just works for them, they do try a few new avenues on The Near Future, particularly on tracks like “Another Week” with its doo-wop style progressions and “Pretend” with its groovy rhythm. But the band still doesn’t fail to shine on their more traditional I Fight Dragons songs such as “Fighting On”, “No Strings” and “Chicago.”
With The Near Future, I Fight Dragons have proven that you don’t need a large label behind you to create great music. With their own artistic integrity and their fans to back them, the band has put out an epic album that many will be happy to find in their mailboxes.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended Tracks: “Pretend” and “No Strings”
Website // Facebook // Twitter
