Future Islands is an upcoming post-wave band from Baltimore that has embarked on a five-month U.S. and European tour in support of its latest record, “On the Water.” Before its San Diego show, band members Samuel Herring (vocals), Gerrit Welmers (keyboards) and William Cashion (bass) took time out of their busy schedules to speak with The Daily Aztec.

The Daily Aztec: You are halfway through your tour, have you sold out most of your shows?
Sam Herring: I think we sold out the last four or five dates. We’ve played a lot of new cities on this tour. It’s good to play shows in areas that don’t get many big acts or even small acts. It’s cool to play in cities like Omaha or Santa Fe, and to see an audience who knows the lyrics to our music.

DA: When you record an album, what do you listen to?
SH: I actually listen to some weird things. In the last year I’ve gotten into older folk from the ‘20s and ‘30s. I listen to a lot of old jazz, some world music and Ethiopian jazz as well. West coast underground hip-hop was also a big influence when I was a kid, and even till this day.

DA: I hear a lot of David Bowie in your music.
SH: I listen to no David Bowie. I actually think David Bowie is a real genius, but I’m not really a fan of his music. I don’t dislike his music; I’m just not really a fan.
William Cashion: I listened to Smashing Pumpkins when I was younger. I also liked The Cure, David Bowie and Devo.
Gerrit Welmers: Growing up I listened to a lot of punk rock and metal, but I usually don’t listen to anything when I record.

DA: So what do you do for inspiration, Gerrit?
GW: I look in the mirror a lot. (Laughs)

DA: If you had to describe your sound to an audience that had never listened to Future Islands before, how would you describe it?
WC: Too noisy for new-wave and too p**** for punk. (Laughs)

DA: Are there any future plans in the works? Do you see Future Islands becoming more prominent in the indie scene?
SH: That’s a hard question because it’s difficult to predict. We’re going to continue making music that we love, but there’s no telling what happens.