Liverpool trio Clockwork Animals lean into the atmosphere and intent in the intimate, confrontational “Fantastic Future Dream.” Blurring the lines between alternative rock, post-punk, and shoegaze on their EP of the same name, the band uses this song to zoom out and ask a bigger question: where are we headed, and who pays the price along the way? At its core, “Fantastic Future Dream” reflects on animal exploitation, but it does so as it settles into your bones slowly.
The track opens on softly chiming guitars, shimmering and slightly gritty at the edges, hovering above gentle, rolling riffs. The drums rustle and splash rather than pound, giving the song a steady but restrained pulse, while cymbals flicker like distant signals. Jack Tully’s low, gravelly vocal sits deep in the mix, grounded and brooding, delivering lines with a calm seriousness that suits the song’s contemplative nature. Behind him, Elena Auddino’s softer backing vocals drift in like a shadow, bringing her eerie, unearthly tenderness and a soft penumbra that complicates the mood and brings a subtle emotional contrast.
As the song unfolds, the guitars grow sharper and more insistent, their high-end chime cutting through with a tense, shimmering grit. The constant push and pull between beauty and unease echoes the song’s themes of hope and discomfort coexisting side by side.
“Fantastic Future Dream” is brooding without being bleak, thoughtful without losing momentum. Drawing on echoes of Bowie’s artful distance, Radiohead’s introspection, and the textured noise of Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins, Clockwork Animals manages to sound familiar yet distinct, as it invites repeat listens, not for instant hooks, but for the way it lingers, asking you to sit with its questions a little longer.
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Review by: Naomi Joan