Franc Moody have today released their much-anticipated debut album, 'Dream in Colour'. The record arrives alongside a video for new single 'Skin on Skin', which twists the charged romance of the track on its head and precedes the band's upcoming headline tour. This includes a massive date at O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on March 5th, with the unique London band having previously sold-out the likes of Village Underground, Heaven, and toured alongside acts like Chic, Friendly Fires and Parcels.
Introducing their debut album for the first time today, Franc Moody write: "Dream in Colour is our debut album, all the best bits that have come out of our studio cupboard in North West London over the last year. It’s a collection of tunes we’re really proud of. It’s been a real DIY labour of love to make, with inspiration taken from all the experiences and characters we’ve come across as Franc Moody. We hope it provides a release for listeners, and some time to dream in colour, away from the hyper, information-driven world we live in today.”
'Skin on Skin' is a suitable knock-out entry to Franc Moody's debut album, 'Dream in Colour' - a joyous, euphoric and effortlessly accomplished offering from one of the capital's true DIY success stories. As a band who came up via the tight-knit warehouse rave scene of London, Franc Moody's performances are all about community and chaos. These hypnotic and free-form shows – members have been known to suddenly swap instruments or play keytar solos while sat on each other’s shoulders – have helped them build a cult following. Each gig feels like a gigantic house party, packed with scenes of crowd surfing, mosh pits, mass sing-alongs and chants of “MOODY! MOODY!” This is where the band feel most at home and it informs one of the many themes running through their forthcoming debut album, ‘Dream in Colour’: the experience of letting loose together.
Director Jak Payne says of the 'Skin on Skin' video that "the band really wanted to do something unexpected, which I always think is a good starting point. I guess the track might suggest something poppy or romantic for the visual so we wanted to go in the opposite direction and make something kind of violent for it. I think it works because lines like "toe to toe" or "skin on skin" start to be interpreted differently when you watch it and that creates a bit of confusion and hopefully makes it interesting."
Mixing influences of house, nu-disco, rave culture and the band’s guerrilla ethos into escapist, euphoric pop, 'Dream in Colour' is the culmination of a brother-like friendship between Franc Moody's chief collaborators, Ned and Jon. While Jon was born into a family of classical musicians and grew up on oboes, cellos and violins, Ned was musically educated by the stereo in his parents’ car, blasting old soul, 50s/60s New Orleans music, and the rock n roll sounds of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Eddie Cochran. The guys first met when part of a group of musicians who took over an abandoned warehouse in Tottenham: first throwing raucous parties, then cutting their teeth as a live outfit, and gradually articulating a more socially-conscious lyrical concern through Franc Moody’s irrepressible floor-fillers.
‘Dream in Colour’, then, isn’t just about togetherness. It will also explore the way in which modern life constantly oscillates between online and offline realities; from the world we navigate inside our phones to the one we explore each day with our physiological senses. What separates our emotional experience of things like friendship, love and community online versus those we experience IRL? “Sometimes,” explains Ned, “that experience of switching between those two worlds can feel like changing from black & white to colour. We wanted to explore that phenomenon on this record.” As debut albums go, ‘Dream in Colour’ also perfectly encapsulates the phenomenon that is Franc Moody themselves.
Feb 26th || Dublin || Button Factory*
Feb 28th || Glasgow || Stereo*
Feb 29th || Manchester || YES*March 2nd || Bristol || Fleece*
March 3rd || Brighton || Concorde 2
March 4th || Nottingham || Bodega*
March 5th || London || O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
March 7th || Leeds || Belgrave Music Hall*
March 10th || Rotterdam || Bird
March 11th || Amsterdam || Paradiso Noord*
March 12th || Cologne || Club Volta
March 13th || Berlin || Saalchen
March 14th || Hamburg || Bahnhof Pauli
March 16th || Copenhagen || Vega Small Hall
March 20th || Paris || La Maroquinerie
March 21st || Gent || Democrazy
May 5th || Los Angeles, CA || Teragram Ballroom
May 7th || San Francisco, CA || 1015 Folsom
May 9th || Denver, CO || Larimer Lounge
May 12th || Chicago, IL || Lincoln Hall
May 14th || Boston, MA || Brighton Music Hall
May 16th || New York City || Elsewhere Hall
May 17th || Washington D.C. || Union Stage
* = SOLD OUT
