Scott's Song by Song #81: Built for the Future - 2084 Empire

Welcome to issue #81 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong). For more information about this series, click here: 

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Built for the Future are a prog rock duo from San Antonio, Texas, USA.  The team consists of:

PATRIC FARRELL: Bass, Guitars, Keyboards, Drums/programming, vocals

KENNY BISSETT: Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

With

PETER FITHAIN: Keyboards

LALO HERRERA: Drums

The two got together in 2014, and released their debut album “Chasing Light” in 2014, followed by “Brave New World” in 2020, and “2084: Heretic” in 2023.  This album “2084: Empire”  was just released on June 5, 2026, and is the follow up to the previous album.  I am only slightly familiar with this band, having only the song “Walls” from their debut in my library. I hope that only hearing the second part of the dystopian saga will make sense (although I am a music first, lyrics later guy). This is a double album, clocking in at an hour and a half.  

This album comes courtesy of Anne-Claire Rallo of Bad Dog Promotions, but as always, I receive no additional compensation, and I call it like I hear it.  As usual, this is a cold listen.

Let’s get to the music, shall we?

Track 1 - 2084 (7:43)

This begins with a steady eighth-note guitar rhythm soon joined by the rhythm section.  Bissett’s vocals remind me of Geddy Lee’s lower-registered voice from Rush’s later years.  The dynamic level jumps up a notch or two as it hits the chorus.  I love the sinister vibes the song brings. At around the 3 minute mark there is another layer of vocals added that provide a bit of a countermelody.  I love the bridge part of the song!  This really rocks hard!  So far it’s been a steady 4-4 but it still has prog vibes.  At about 5:45 there is a spoken-dramatized part.  As the song comes to an end, there is a sound like a 2-way radio conversation.  This is a cool opener that has me stoked for what is to follow.

Track 2 - Propaganda (5.39)

This follows directly from the opener, and the intro has strong 80s Rush vibes, particularly in the bass line from Ferrell.  Their music, thus far, has been heavy, but not harsh. I get a heavy rock version of Tears for Fears hybrid feel on this one.  The keyboard feature at around 3:45 even reminds me of “I Got You” by Split Enz.  Cool track that ends with guitar effects and more “radio chatter”.

Track 3 - The Empire State (4:53)

The keyboard intro on this is “totally new wave!” (if you’re around my age, you will hear a Jeff Spicoli type of accent on that phrase); I love it!  The rhythm section is tight!  They really drive the song.   I love the half-time part around 2:25.  There is a melodic guitar break shortly thereafter.  These guys have a huge sound!  There is a lot of dimension to the sound. This one ends with the sound of a crowd of people speaking indeterminately.  

Track 4 - Subterranean (5:56)

This begins with a big drumbeat and some synth effects.  I love the groove when the band and vocals kick in. If I didn’t know they were from Texas, I would suspect they were British in the pronunciation of “Subterranean”.  Just before the 2-minute point,  the rhythm section drops out for a more free-time feel.  I love their harmonies on this, after the beat kicks back in.  I believe there is some mellotron on the top of this.  With about a minute left, the likely mellotron takes over, and there are various sound effects, such as a clock-tower chiming.  

Track 5 - Airstrip One (11:30)

This comes out of track 6 with the sounds of emergency vehicles and crowds of people.  A moderate tempo techno beat comes out of the chaos.  The refrain is “We give our life for Oceania”, which I assume is the country in the story.  At around 2:40, the groove changes to a 7-8 meter.   Things build up in the ensuing instrumental break. The crescendo hits a peak at around 4:45, and then there are some interesting percussive sounds featured.  After the break, it seems that the government in our tale is asserting itself against its citizens.  We return to a rockin’s 4-4 at around 6:40.  I like the melodies in this section, both instrumental and vocal.  I love the dynamic changes in this track, brought on by adding more and more layers of music.   After the 10-minute point, things ease off.  This is a standout track, so far.  The song ends as it began with emergency vehicles and crowd noises.  Excellent song!

Track 6 - Zealot (8:02)

A guitar riff starts this on out and drums join in. By 30 seconds they are locked into a groove, which begins to sound like a variation of Billy Squier’s “Everybody Wants You”, but darker and heavier.   These guys really know how to create a vocal arrangement, as evidenced by the overlapping parts.  There is a middle section with a person giving a speech, presumably the dictator of Oceania.  After a powerful dynamic segment, the tempo slows down and then they bring it down to build it back up. At the tail end there is a little tag of clean guitar and synth.  A very cool track!

Track 7 - The Brotherhood (5:02)

This has a kind of moderately slow jazzy vibe with electric piano leading the instrumental soundscape.  I would suspect that “The Brotherhood” is the resistance group in the saga. Great bass lines in this one.  There is a quieter breakdown part at around 3:15.  A fuller section follows before it quiets down at the ending.  Good track.

Track 8 - Oceania (25:22)

We have made it to the epic centerpiece of the album which has 6 sections, as follows:

1. Ministry of Love

2. Ministry of Plenty

3. Population Control

4. Ministry of Peace

5. Ministry of Truth

6. Ministry of Love II

This starts right off with no real introduction.  A cool percussion break comes after the first verse. I love the way the drums and mallet style percussion are panned across the stereo image. At around 2:20 they begin to transition into a shuffle beat. This must be the Ministry of Plenty.  Excellent soundscape at 4:20 or so.  Lots of little ear candies in this part.  At 6:45 we get a 7-8 section reminiscent of “Subdivisions” by Rush.  This is super cool!  At around 10:30 the “We Give our Lives for Oceania” refrain returns for earlier.  At about 11:45 a long sustained chord heralds the beginning of the next section. There are some opposing polyrhythms with a mixture of pastoral and industrial sounds.  The tension starts to ease at around 13:40.  The vocals here remind me of Tobias Forge (aka Papa Perpetua–his most recent guise) of Ghost.  Outstanding vocal arrangement here!   At around 16:40 a helicopter sound effect takes over briefly.  At around 18:15, a few sound effects take us to the new section with acoustic guitars and a rimshot drum beat.  At 20:00 the rhythm changes again to a straight rock ride cymbal groove.  More changes take us to a “big” section at around 22:00; this seems to be the finale of this amazing journey of an epic!  The final crescendo is glorious!  Superb epic modern prog!

Track 9 - Permanent War (6:56)

That was a tough act to follow, but let’s see how they do it on the last 2 (relatively) shorter songs.  The first few seconds remind me of Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain”, but a heavier groove follows.  This rocks hard.  I think this is the uprising against the tyrannic government.  I like the drumming at around 3 minutes or so.  Excellent synth solo at around 3:45; this is probably the first time there has been “flashy” playing on the album.  Things ease off at around 5:15.  They then build back up to take us to the final chord.  War-like sound effects close it out.  Strong song.

Track 10 - The National Anthem (8:07)

Acoustic guitar strums with bass & drum accents kick the final track off.  This also reminds me of Ghost.  I believe this is the aftermath following the uprising that defeated the dictatorship.  Once again, the vocal arrangement is top notch.  I wonder if one of the guys has a choral music background.  Mellotron strings enter after the 3 minute mark.  There are some spoken word sounds involved.  It kicks in heavily at around 4 minutes.  A chorus of “Hail Oceania” takes over here.  The music gets GIGANTIC at around 6:30.  Things wind down during the last 30 seconds or so,  A great finale to this incredible album.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Wow, that was amazing!  I need to go back and hear the first part of the tale.  This is not an album of flashy playing and “twiddly bits”  but rather great songwriting and arrangements.  There are occasional odd-meter sections, but this is more progressive in its scope.  The production is superb.  It’s warm and easy on the ears even when it’s heavy and/or loud.  The dynamic shifts are wonderful.  2026 has been an incredible year for great prog!  Anyone who says there is no great music being made these days is flat out wrong; you just have to be willing to look for it.  I’ll give this one a near perfect 4.75 out of 5 stars (95%).

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Prog On!

Scott

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LINKS FOR LISTENING/Buying:

The Bandcamp Page:

https://builtforthefuture1.bandcamp.com/album/2084-empire

Videos: 

“Propaganda”

https://youtu.be/bfvao5BQHro

“The Empire State”

https://youtu.be/MP01NrVdOec