On the Water (album)

On the Water is the third album by synthpop band Future Islands. The album was released on 11 October 2011 on Thrill Jockey records.

On the Water
Studio album by Future Islands
Released	October 11, 2011 (2011-10-11)
Genre	Synthpop, alternative rock
Length	41:41
Label	Thrill Jockey
Producer	Chester Endersby Gwazda
Future Islands chronology
In Evening Air (2010) On the Water (2011) Singles (2014)
Singles from On the Water
"Balance" Released: July 2011

The album was recorded in a friend's house in Elizabeth City, North Carolina between March and May 2011.^[1] Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner duets on The Great Fire.

The album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10[2]
Metacritic	80/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	A−[4]
Beats Per Minute	70%[5]
Consequence of Sound	B[6]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[7]
Paste	8.9/10[8]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[9]
PopMatters	[10]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[11]
Under the Radar	7/10[12]

The album received generally positive reviews with Pitchfork giving it 7.7/10^[9] and The A.V. Club giving it an A−.^[4] The aggregated score from 21 critics on Metacritic is 80/100.^[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Future Islands^[13]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"On the Water"	4:52
2.	"Before the Bridge"	4:00
3.	"The Great Fire"	3:14
4.	"Open"	1:28
5.	"Where I Found You"	5:44
6.	"Give Us the Wind"	4:06
7.	"Close to None"	6:20
8.	"Balance"	4:06
9.	"Tybee Island"	3:16
10.	"Grease"	4:35

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Crish (Javelin Remixxx) [iTunes Bonus Track]"	3:18

Personnel

Personnel taken from On The Water liner notes.^[13]

Future Islands

• Gerrit Welmers – keyboards, programming, electric guitar
• William Cashion – bass guitar, electric, acoustic & effects guitars
• Samuel T. Herring – vocals, lyrics

Additional performers

• Denny Bowen – drums, additional percussion
• Jenn Wasner – vocals on "The Great Fire"
• Kate Barutha – cello on "Grease" and "Where I Found You"
• Victor Ruch – violin on "Grease"
• Dave Jacober – marimba on "Where I Found You" and "Balance"
• Chester Endersby Gwazda – additional programming, string arrangements

Technical personnel

• Chester Endersby Gwazda – producer
• Sarah Register – mastering