Artist Spotlight

Future Clouds and Radar returns with the “Big Weather” EP

Future Clouds and Radar is a project led by Austin songwriter-producer Robert Harrison. They put out Big Weather, a seven-song EP, through Star Apple Kingdom. Harrison, best known as the lead singer of Cotton Mather, says that this EP deliberately returns to recording and creating together in a room.

Big Weather combines short, to-the-point songs with production that is sometimes experimental and has a lot of layers. The EP has seven songs that mix sharp melodic hooks and direct pop structures with moments of serendipity, like studio moments and “mistakes” that are kept in the final mixes. Harrison says that renewal is a key theme and stresses the importance of making music “with friends in real rooms,” which puts human interaction ahead of perfect polish.

The record’s sound is a mix of immediacy and unpredictability. It has neat pop sensibilities and arrangements that include ambient textures and subtle oddities. Listeners may recognize influences from alternative and left-field pop traditions; however, the project’s cohesion stems from Harrison’s unwavering melodic focus and his openness to allowing the recording process to dictate results.

The EP’s production style is all about being there and working together. The record’s character comes from the way the room sounds and the way the musicians interact with each other. Big Weather is different from today’s overly produced albums. The choice to keep things spontaneous makes the listening experience immediate and sometimes surprising.

Big Weather is a short reintroduction to Harrison’s songwriting and a small manifesto about making music together. The EP shows that the artist is still growing and changing, and for people who are new to his work, it gives a brief picture of someone who wants to make music that feels alive. Big Weather is a short but broad record of Harrison’s ongoing artistic renewal and interest in working with others.

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