“If anything, it was tamed down… he wasn’t at 100% – that was maybe 60%”: We speak to Future Islands about THAT Letterman performance, the internet’s OTT reaction – and their new collection of rarities and B-sides

Emerging from the DIY underground with little more than a few vintage synths, a relentless determination and Samuel T. Herring’s unmistakable voice (and those unmistakable moves, Ed) indie electronic band Future Islands built their reputation slowly and surely before exploding into the wider public consciousness with the 2014 single Seasons (Waiting on You) and that performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Seasons was widely hailed as one of the defining songs of the year, propelled by Herring’s meme-invoking performance – while their fourth album, Singles, would later become the breakthrough they’d spent nearly a decade trying to earn. From that moment, Future Islands were transformed from cult favourites into an internationally recognised force as the world finally started to play catch-up.

Two decades on, rather than celebrate their longevity with a conventional greatest-hits package, they’ve assembled From a Hole in the Floor to a Fountain of Youth – a collection of rarities, B-sides and overlooked gems that fill the spaces between the milestones. We speak to keyboard player Gerrit Welmers and bassist/guitarist William Cashion about Future Islands’ two-decade journey that, remarkably, continues to build momentum.

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MusicRadar: When the group got together initially, you were more into hip-hop, punk and metal. How did that mutate into an affinity for electronic pop?