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Future Islands is an American synth-pop band formed in Greenville, North Carolina, in 2006 and later based in Baltimore, Maryland. The band includes Samuel T. Herring on vocals, Gerrit Welmers on keyboards and programming, William Cashion on bass and guitars, and Michael Lowry on drums. The group was initially formed by Herring, Welmers, and Cashion, who were members of the performance art college band Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, along with drummer Erick Murillo. Murillo left the band after recording their debut album, Wave Like Home, in 2008. The remaining trio released two more studio albums, In Evening Air (2010) and On the Water (2011), which gained a dedicated cult following and involved extensive touring. Future Islands gained wider recognition with their fourth album, Singles, released by 4AD in 2014. The album's lead single, 'Seasons (Waiting on You)', was named the best song of 2014 by Pitchfork and NME. Their performance of the song on the Late Show with David Letterman in March 2014 became the most-viewed video on the show's YouTube channel and has been noted as one of the most notable live performances.