Future Past

Duran Duran

Leading up to the release of

Duran Duran’s 15th studio album,

Future Past, singer Simon Le Bon frequently teased that the project’s sound would be something new to the band entirely. Respectfully, I couldn’t disagree more. If anything,

Future Past preserves Duran

Duran’s iconic brand of punchy synth-pop complete with heavily reverberated drums and, of course, John Taylor’s groovy, disco-esque basslines. Most impressively, as the title might suggest, Future Past achieves this sound without feeling dated or repetitive—a feat that is due in part to the album’s colourful lineup of guest appearances, from Swedish pop singer Tove

Lo to Japanese rock band CHAI. However, it’s English rapper Ivorian Doll’s verse on “Hammerhead” that epitomizes the finesse with which Future Past melds sounds old and new, as her emotive verse effortlessly melds with the track’s nostalgic sound. With throwback trends currently dominating popular music, Duran Duran’s latest effort feels like a necessary addition to the growing synthwave soundscape.