This track is another instance of the music team at EA completely bossing their roles when choosing the songs to be used in their FIFA games in the 2000s. ‘Potential Futures’ by Duels was featured on the soundtrack for FIFA 06. It’s the one and only song I’ve ever listened to by this band. That’s something that probably isn’t likely to change. Don’t think my life’ll be heavily affected if I were to never hear any of the two albums the band have made in full. Then again, maybe I’m the fool to sell the band short like this. If anyone out there can tell me that Duels have made these fine records that I haven’t heard, I’ll welcome your thoughts and opinions with open arms.

Although I was regularly playing the FIFA game around the time of its release, I never fully appreciated the song until years later. In 2009, I asked for another copy of the game after my original from 2005 had some sort of glitch/error where the loading bar before the matches would just stop, which essentially defeated the whole purpose of having the item in the first place. My mum was confused as to why I wanted this old game. I could see where she was coming from. But I always felt I never got as much time with that FIFA edition before it glitched out, so it seemed right to me. I had my established favourites from that game having played it before. Some of them I’ve written about on here. And a few others that just never got a post. Due to this, I want to say I must have muted all of the other songs, including ‘Potential Futures’, to stop them from playing in the menu sections. Its stomping intro would usually crop up in those pre-match loading screens though. But when I did let the whole track play out from 2009 onwards, it was like I’d known the whole song my entire life. Only took maybe a few listens to start singing along to it.

The track narrates the tribulations of a Mr. Jimmy DeLancia, a fictional character who hates where he’s working and wants to hightail it out of the dead end town he’s currently living in. Why such a specific name was used is because the album that this track went on to appear (albeit in a newer re-recorded form which I think is inferior to the original single version) was supposed to be a concept album based around this man, a bit like Pretty Things’ S.F. Sorrow. The idea fell through though, and Jimmy only gets the brief mention here. I’ve come to think of the ‘Potential Futures’ phrase as some sort of company name, with its slogan/mission statement being sung by… I guess, the public who are buying into whatever this company’s selling. It’s the contrast between the disillusioned DeLancia verses and the happy, big singalong choruses that does it for me. Got those nice organs in the back during the latter that makes everything sound on this higher plane of existence. Some nice chord changes and movements that make each transition between song sections very fluid. A strong song in general.