Spotlight: Brimming with Warmth and Soulful Energy, Neil Frances Debuts ‘There is No Neil Frances’
NEIL FRANCES KNOWS HOW TO BRING THE VIBES - known for their psychedelic modern dance music, the band is lighting up 2022 with their latest album, There is No Neil Frances. Bringing warmth and soul that is often lacking in the alt pop scene, duo Jordan Feller and Marc Gilfry formed the group in 2016 with the intention of creating authentic and honest music.
Recently selling out The Fonda, Neil Frances has a magnetic stage presence that enthralls the general public. Pulling their inspirations from genres such as disco and opera, Neil Frances cannot be put in a box with the level of their ingenuity and talent. It’s obvious how much time and energy the duo pour into their music, and with art-pumped production, it’s no wonder this band is on the rise.
We had the opportunity to catch up with one half of the duo, Jordan Feller, to talk about their new album, There is No Neil Frances, and pick his brain about all things music-related.
LUNA: You're starting the year off with a tour and a new album — really diving into it for 2022! How are you doing and adjusting to this change of pace?
FELLER: Feeling good. I mean, we are counting our lucky stars at the moment. Saturday night was like a culmination of four or five years worth of work for Marc and I. We sold out The Fonda … in the middle of a pandemic. I feel like we’re having a little bit of a moment in a really good way. I think, as any artist, you sort of fear that, at some point, everyone is just going to stop listening to you or stop caring about you, and luckily, people have kept listening. I was having a laugh on Saturday night because I can't believe people still want to hear “Dumb Love.” It's been a great sort of feeling of positivity, getting back out on the road. I always say there's kind of a feedback loop that informs your [creative] process when getting back into the studio. Going out there and playing the shows and seeing the [reaction to songs] is a really good feeling.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of the new album — I love the project! What are some of your favorite elements that you got to explore in this project?
FELLER: Well, previous to this project, I was a DJ, so I would write predominantly house and techno music. One thing going into this project with Marc was [that] I think it's important to be cognizant of your own weaknesses and to build a team around those that fill the gaps. What's been really great about this project has been the openness from both of us to collaborate with people. It's not just about Marc's vocals. It's not just about my production. It's about writing great songs, however they come about. Whether it's collaborating with Raffaella on “I'm On The Lookout,” or Benny Sings or GRAE, I think we’ve learned from being open.
LUNA: Does it sound like moving forward, you would like to continue to work with people outside the two of you, or is it just going to be organic — “if it happens, it happens”?
FELLER: Organic, but also we have artists that we're big fans of that we would love to work with. To be honest, I don't really know how to pigeonhole our sound. I definitely hear certain artists that I'm listening to right now that I would love to work with going forward. It keeps things fresh and exciting.
LUNA: Do you feel like the physical space you recorded this project in affected the feel of the album? I saw a BTS video you guys had made from the making of the project, and it looks like you made it a home studio setup.
FELLER: That's a good question. I don't know. I think, more than anything, the size of it is perfect for us. We can go in there and write, but also we have the space for the whole band to come in and rehearse, which is really critical. It’s nice to be able to record outside your house, particularly in this pandemic. Marc and I were lucky in that we were able to build a creative bubble that we could work with.
LUNA: This is one of my favorite questions I always like to ask: If you could pick the ideal setting for someone to listen to this album the first time through, where would it be? Dream setting?
FELLER: I like the idea of driving down the open road at sunset, or even a road trip vibe would be very cool. I like the album length — 40 minutes — I feel that's kind of the perfect amount of time, particularly in LA.
LUNA: Which track was the most difficult to finish and what made you guys want to stick with it?
FELLER: The intro and the final song were actually the hardest. “Electric Blue Angels” and “Little Heartbeat” definitely took the longest amount of time, but they were worth it. We did a bunch of different versions of “Little Heartbeat'' — it was initially 15 BPM faster. The last song, “Electric Blue Angels,” was a first for us because we’ve never experimented with a ballad before.
LUNA: Moving forward, what kind of role do you think the album as opposed to an EP is having for your career, or an artist's career in general?
FELLER: I think in this day and age, people's attention span is so limited that an EP plays well for people starting out. For us, it was a matter of building up an audience of people, and it gets to a point where an album feels right to do. I think going forward, I liked the creative process of putting together an album.
LUNA: Cool! Shifting to the visual side of the project, what do you like about bringing visuals to life?
FELLER: That's probably not my strength, honestly. What I really like about the visual process is the collaboration. We have got a really good videographer at the moment who's coming on tour with us and helping us across the board. I do love that aspect of it. It’s a special relationship to trust someone to help you find the vision.
LUNA: You mentioned in a previous interview that you like the idea of your music being the soundtrack to someone's life. So what would be your opening song for the soundtrack to your life?
FELLER: Well, for now I'm going to say Arthur Russell’s “That's Us/Wild Combination.” A nice little credit song. I'll stick with that for the moment, but that may change.
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