Steven Wilson
„The Future Bites“
 Album, LP, White Vinyl, Limited, 2021. Neo-Pop-Disco-Artrock.

I don't need to say much more about Steven Wilson, the mastermind behind Porcupine Tree. Steven John Wilson is a British musician. He plays various instruments and, as a trained producer, sound engineer, guitarist, and keyboardist, is a proven autodidact. When Steven Wilson launched his solo career in 2009 with his first album, "Insurgentes," and put Porcupine Tree on hold in 2010, heated debates erupted within the Porcupine Tree and progressive rock fan communities. "The Future Bites," in particular, met with considerable disapproval, as it is anything but progressive rock. Some fans, myself included, wanted to "enter Steven Wilson's music through the same old familiar door." But Steven Wilson wouldn't be Steven Wilson if he made it easy for us. 

Ich werde an diese Rezension anders herangehen, denn lange Zeit sah ich Steven Wilson nur als den Prog-Rock Guru unserer Zeit. Selbst den beiden Porcupine Tree Alben „Stupid Dream“ und „Lightbulb Sun“I avoided them for 20 years! and today I see their supposedly “Brit-Pop” albums as an evolution of the band Porcupine Tree. Meanwhile, “The Future Bites” is alongside “Grace For Drowning„, „4 1/2“ and „The Overview“ my 4th album by Steven Wilson.”

As a Porcupine Tree-spoiled prog fan, my first Steven Wilson albums were naturally "Grace For Drowning" and "The Overview," both clearly defined progressive rock albums. "The Future Bites" is my first non-prog album. And, with one exception, it's very good. Electro/pop/disco isn't usually my thing, but here it's profound and interestingly crafted.

UNSELF
The first three songs bring with them a cool, industrial atmosphere. 

SELF
"I've never seen myself as a prog-rock artist. And I resist being classified as just an ordinary musician." "Entertain, like a fucking clown."

KING GHOST
Mystical, cool, futuristic, elegiac synth-pop. These three songs from "The Future Bites" are representative of Steven Wilson's most daring and polarizing album to date. 

Why does this album sound so different? Steven brought David Kosten on board because he brought a different perspective. Steven: "Oh, that sounds like Kraftwerk. How cool is that?" Or: "That has something of Prince or Pink Floyd about it. I absolutely have to use that." David is the exact opposite. He's more likely to say: "We can't do that. That sounds like Kraftwerk. Let's try something else." Or: "That's Pink Floyd. Let's leave it alone." I found it so refreshing to have someone next to me who said: "Don't do that because it sounds like something you love. That's exactly why you shouldn't do it. Try something else."

12 THINGS I FORGOT it doesn't fit into this album at all, in my opinion. It's a boring, albeit pleasant, pop song. Steven probably wanted this change of pace to break up the previously subdued atmosphere. This song would be better suited to a Blackfield album; here it feels completely out of place.

EMINENT SLEAZE the Rhodes piano could be reminiscent of Pink Floyd, but the song is not Pink Floyd at all. The bass is clean and groovy. It blends seamlessly into the album.

MAN OF THE PEOPLE is, for me, a much better break. Here, Steven proves that he is indeed capable of making interesting pop music. And it still works even after twenty listens. Wilson is immensely proud of this song. This made some of his prog-rock fans, including myself initially, long for the "old" Steven Wilson. So, at first, I completely ignored his solo career. Anything that didn't sound prog, I didn't want to listen to at all. However, through this website, I became more and more involved with music, and my perspective broadened. Including "The Future Bites." And I understand why Wilson says: “In a way, such reactions are also a badge of honor. They show that I'm doing the right thing. And they're simply part of the process. I don't want to offend anyone, but it's true that fans can be enemies of creativity. Simply because they always expect the same access to your universe. Namely, the one through which they once entered it. Now they constantly want to take the same door and feel exactly the same thing. But for me, that's not what being an artist should be about.”

And with that, side A is complete, and it's a strong, demanding album.

Side B, at 9:49 minutes, contains my personal heart of the album, PERSONAL SHOPPER. Besides Steven Wilson, we also hear the voices of Rotem Wilson and Elton John. I've never heard such a thoughtful, multifaceted piece of neo-disco-electro-art-rock. This is bound to open the heart of every prog fan! It certainly did for me. FOLLOWER is an incredibly effective critique of the negative consequences of social media. Highlight number two on side B. COUNT OF UNEASE is the calm and atmospherically dense final song. And now I'm realizing it: this album is magnificent.

So, let's get to the conclusion. No prog? No prog. Instead, neo-pop disco art rock, lots of electronic music, industrial elements, and a touch of rock. SW isn't creating anything new, and that's not his aim. It's always interesting. It can be listened to again and again, it's exciting, atmospherically dense (cliché, I know), and it has a message. SW isn't trying to lecture us here; he's holding up a mirror, and we (just like Steven) often recognize ourselves. It's about social media, the exaggerated self-presentation, consumerism, especially for things we don't actually need. We lose our "healthy" social skills in the anonymity of the internet and use them for hate. No prog? No prog, and that's not just good for SW as an artist, it's good for us. It's actually quite simple: None of us fans have a right to dictate what kind of music Steven Wilson wants to make. If you don't like it, just let it go.

Credits

Steven Wilson – Vocals, Acoustic and E-Guitar, Bass, Piano (Leslie), Synthesizer, Sampler, Shaker, Electric Piano (Fender Rhodes), Percussion, Handclaps, Autoharp, Organ (Hammond).
David Kosten – Drone, Programming.
Emilia, Gali, Guy, Lihi, Mati, Romi, Shai, Tom, Mia and Yali Wilson – (Kid) Voices.
David Barbieri – Synthesizer.
Bobbie Gordon, Crystal Williams, JAKL, Mos Capri, Rina Mushonga, Rou Reynolds, Wendy Harriott,  Blaine Harrison, Jack Flanagan – Vocals.
Elton John, Rotem Wilson – Voices.
Michael Spearman – Drums, HiHat.
Adam Holzman – Synthesizer (Doepfer Modular), Electric Piano (Wahwah).
Nick Beggs – Bass Guitar, Chapman Stick, Guitar (Phased).
Jason Cooper – Cymbal, Percussion.
The London Session Orchestra – Strings.

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©06.01.2026