Torres doesn't seem interested in staying in one place musically for too long, and it was anyone's guess what her third album was going to sound like. A focus on synths (and guitars run through synth pedals among other things) most obviously delineates Three Futures from its predecessors, but what strikes me about that move even more than its seamless and non-perfunctory integration is how necessary an evolution it was in order to convey Scott's ideas. Even if she could have conceived of "Concrete Ganesha" before, there was no way to render such a textural, glitchy piece with her old palette. Recognisable guitar lines don't prop up any of the songs, but rather snake in and out.
Torres' self-titled debut established Mackenzie Scott as a talented songwriter straight out of the gate; Sprinter expanded her purview and gave her many places to go. Three Futures isn't a step forwards, backwards or laterally, but downwards; it drags you down and traps you in its world and doesn't let you come up for air until it's over.
