It was the group's final album to feature vocalist Damo Suzuki, who subsequently left the band, and explores a more atmospheric sound than their previous releases.

[3][4] Future Days emphasises the ambient elements that Can had explored on previous albums, dispensing largely with traditional rock song structures and instead "creating hazy, expansive soundscapes dominated by percolating rhythms and evocative layers of keys".

[citation needed] Some versions of the vinyl album have a slightly different cover in which the graphics are not embossed, or in which their lightly reflective gold tint is replaced by a flat yellow.

[citation needed] Ian MacDonald of NME praised Future Days, calling it "an immaculate piece of work" and "the best German rock record so far, apart from Faust".

[16] In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Anthony Tognazzini called it "fiercely progressive, calming, complex, intense, and beautiful all at once" and "one of Can's most fully realized and lasting achievements."