For reasons that are difficult for me to fully articulate, there's something so quintessentially Vancouver about Future Star, whose poignantly twee, minimalist pop tunes remind me of spending my 20s at underground shows in East Van: the keyboard lamentations of Kellarissa, the piano punk of Chris-a-riffic and the open-hearted warmth of Apollo Ghosts.
Future Star's new album, It's About Time!, makes me deeply nostalgic for the city I moved away from seven years ago — partly because of its Vancouver-y sound, and partly because the songs themselves trace passing time and drifting friendships. "It's not about the drugs that you did / It's not about the drinking / It's not about the mistakes and accidents that happened / Or the friends that you lost along the way / It's about the people that stayed / And the people who could still come back," she sings against sparse piano plunks on the title track, before the song ascends with twinkling textures.
The gorgeous nostalgia reaches its peak on "Real Life," as muffled conversation clips mingle with haunting repetitions of the title phrase. It feels like home.