Label: Dalliance Recordings
Released: 9th April 2021
Luxembourg-based duo Francis of Delirium have been making waves with their innovative take on sound that infuses the soothing rivers of folk with stormy indie rock, creating melodic visions of untamed oceans. Debut EP ‘Wading’ sees them take their introspective genius to the next level.
Francis of Delirium don’t need an extensive tracklist to get the point across. Stretching across four expertly crafted songs, the EP showcases the full extent of lead singer Jana Bahrich’s vocal prowess and very personal approach to songwriting. Tackling themes of love, grief and acceptance, ‘Wading’ is brimming with urgency. Each track is coloured in a different shade of vulnerability, giving the EP not only a unique lyrical palette, but a very intimate dynamic. “Now we’re stuck in this motion, sifting through the floating garbage, and we’re lost,” Jana observes on opening track ‘Lakes’, and gives a first glimpse into the overall tone of the record: A little hazy, a little harrowing, but poetic beyond compare.
Aside from their confessional lyricism, Francis of Delirium impress with heavily detailed sonic landscapes. As fluid as it is complex, the production behind ‘Wading’ is phenomenal. Where standout track ‘Let It All Go’ thrills with angular guitars and razor-sharp vocals building into a swirling frenzy of frustrated cries (“Aren’t you tired of being alone?”), ‘I Think I’m Losing’ closes the record with an explosion of melancholy so devastatingly beautiful, it makes moving on nearly impossible.
At only 19 years old, Jana seems to have mastered a level of maturity in her songwriting that most people spend their whole life chasing. ‘Wading’ is an EP that sits in the eye of the storm. A record bursting with emotional trauma and unbound potential. A debut that promises a rapid ascent for this ridiculously talented young band.