''The Future's Void'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American singer-songwriter and guitarist Erika M. Anderson (also known as EMA), former lead singer of the noise-folk band Gowns, released in Europe on April 7, 2014 on

City Slang City Slang is an independent record label based in Berlin, Germany. History The independent music label City Slang was founded in 1990 as a European outpost for American indie rock. Thirty years later, the imprint represents a diverse roster o ...

, and in the United States on April 8 on

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...

. The album was included in best-of-the-year year-end lists including those by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and ''

The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newsp ...

''.

Critical reception

In his review for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', Mark Richardson wrote, "despite the lyrical clunkers and ill-advised production choices, ''The Future’s Void'' has the feel of a real statement, of an artist trying for something new even if she doesn’t always get there. And the EMA project is antithetical to the idea of perfection anyway, so combing through the messy whole to find the places of clarity and insight feels somehow appropriate." In his best-albums-of-the-year write-up for ''

'', critic Ramon Ramirez wrote that "(EMA) wrote the year’s best record about the Internet. . . . What stars here is her centralized, astute songwriting. EMA followed up 2011’s critically acclaimed ''Past Life Martyred Saints'' with a navel-gazing passion project, and the best thing she’s done." ''

'' wrote in its own best-of-the-year note that "Erika M. Anderson made the best Nineties album of 2014 (if any of us were worried about technology and surveillance taking over our lives 20 years ago). Her follow-up to 2011's awesome ''Past Life Martyred Saints'' pulses, clangs and simmers—it's unsettling one moment, soothing the next and always a smartly satisfying listen."

Track listing

References

2014 albums Erika M. Anderson albums Matador Records albums Fiction about self-harm {{2010s-rock-album-stub