Equal parts heady and hedonistic, pensive and euphoric, Francis’ third studio LP echoes both his deep-rooted psych-rock sensibilities and a lifelong affinity for classic funk.
While touring throughout the North East, Gavin McGee met bandmates Jacob Zang and Jacob Stretch (the Jakes) immersed in the Midwest indie/folk scene. Together over the course of a year they recorded his debut studio project at the Red Caiman Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. His new six-song EP is brimming with folk-inspired earworm melodies and playful, familiar-feeling vocals. Listen Here.
The latest album from Neal Francis, Return To Zero, emerged from the kind of visionary fever dream that only the most masterful and inventive artists are capable of bringing to life. Amid a grueling tour schedule that found him playing nearly 400 shows from 2021 to 2024, the Chicago-based singer/songwriter/pianist immersed himself in creating a beautifully strange entangling of timeless rock & roll and ’70s-era dance music, merging supremely heavy guitar riffs with lush and pulsating grooves—all constructed sans digital programming, in keeping with his devotion to all things analog. Worlds away from the glitzy fantasia of archetypal disco, Return To Zero inhabits a far moodier atmosphere and ultimately makes for the most thrilling manifestation of Francis’ peerless musicality yet.
Equal parts heady and hedonistic, pensive and euphoric, Francis’ third studio LP echoes both his deep-rooted psych-rock sensibilities and a lifelong affinity for classic funk.
While touring throughout the North East, Gavin McGee met bandmates Jacob Zang and Jacob Stretch (the Jakes) immersed in the Midwest indie/folk scene. Together over the course of a year they recorded his debut studio project at the Red Caiman Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. His new six-song EP is brimming with folk-inspired earworm melodies and playful, familiar-feeling vocals. Listen Here.
The latest album from Neal Francis, Return To Zero, emerged from the kind of visionary fever dream that only the most masterful and inventive artists are capable of bringing to life. Amid a grueling tour schedule that found him playing nearly 400 shows from 2021 to 2024, the Chicago-based singer/songwriter/pianist immersed himself in creating a beautifully strange entangling of timeless rock & roll and ’70s-era dance music, merging supremely heavy guitar riffs with lush and pulsating grooves—all constructed sans digital programming, in keeping with his devotion to all things analog. Worlds away from the glitzy fantasia of archetypal disco, Return To Zero inhabits a far moodier atmosphere and ultimately makes for the most thrilling manifestation of Francis’ peerless musicality yet.
