No Future was released in 1993 by way of a very limited cassette run. Saved from obscurity and remastered for release on Eighth Tower Records, the album is a prescient look forward to the experimental ambient music that would begin expansion as a genre two decades later.
Previously focused on industrial / pagan ritual music, here Runes Order employs synthesizer, tape loops, and light rhythmic patterns. The lines are hazy and repetitive, yet dynamic enough to be engaging, with fluttering melodies and rough textures. Given this, it is not surprising that these pieces tend to be hypnotic, with many blending into the background when not paid attention.
Thematically, the album attempts to paint a sound collage of a post-apocalyptic landscape, echoing the existential dread of the recently-ended Cold War. While not as blatantly dark as many similarly-conceived modern efforts, No Future firmly captures an underlying vibe of dystopian aftermath. The result is a subtle tension, where unobtrusive ambient passages coexist with a sense of unease.
No Future will be released on January 26, 2026. It is another excellent rediscovery by the Unexplained Sounds Group family of labels, surfacing a release from the previous century that remains starkly relevant today, both musically and conceptually.
