Album Premiere: Freddy & Francine Rlease “Moonless Night”
Half A Mind, a soulful opening number kicks off Freddy & Francine’s (Lee Ferris and Bianca Caruso) new EP, Moonless Night, “…If I don’t say it well then I’ll go crazy. I’m paralyzed buy just the thought of you just passing by…” Ferris’ buttery smooth vocals and Caruso’s whispery rhythmic voice, in the songs to follow, will completely enchant the listeners. After a three-year recess, the group reconvened to create a harmonious masterpiece.
Freddy & Francine are two classically trained musicians who create everlasting, quality music. Moonless Night was produced by Dan Knobler (Lake Street Drive), and I’m beyond honored to feature such talented souls on this blog. Take a look at the interview I had with the band were we talked all about the EP. Don’t forget to listen to their new EP, Moonless Night, available down below and on all streaming services.
Talk about the recording process for Moonless Night. Where was it recorded?
We recorded the EP at Goosehead Palace in Nashville, TN with Dan Knobler. We originally intended for this record to have no drums on it and we challenged ourselves to keep it as stripped down as possible.
Was the recording process a smooth ride?
We went into this recording with the intention of fulfilling expectations of what other people wanted to hear from us. Due to these self-imposed restraints, we became stressed out a day into recording. Once we surrendered to the present moment we were able to be as true to ourselves creatively as possible. We can only speak from our own experiences of being recording artists but our biggest challenges remain to be letting go of our perfectionism, following our gut instincts and being kind to ourselves in the face of making a product we’re proud of given time and schedule constraints.
What’s that most rewarding?
It’s a beautiful thing to have the outcome of a recording be far away from any expectation you could’ve had. For example, the song “Half A Mind” was the song we were most nervous about recording. Something wasn’t working. Once we had Dan Knobler on guitar, Sam Howard on bass playing with us, something shifted. We then asked Aaron Shaffer-Haiss to play the only drums on the entire EP in the final chorus. It has become my favorite tune on the record.
Who designed your cover art? It’s very dreamy!
We’ve been working with an artist for the past couple of years whom we adore. His name is Derek Eads. We’ve never been disappointed by any of his designs for our products. He continues to amaze us with his ability to visually express our sonic output and brand.
Every song off the album is beautifully orchestrated. Bravo, truly! “Sweet On You” sounds like such a fun song to perform and “Half A Mind” warmed my heart. What would you say is your favorite song off the album?
“Half A Mind” is definitely a standout track for both of us. We’re super proud of all the tunes but the other one that comes to mind is the song “Better Man” which was inspired by the award-winning film Moonlight.
What’s been your most cherished memory during that past recording season for this EP?
Dan Knobler is a true genius. Watching him play guitar on our tunes, co-produce and engineer this EP was hugely eye-opening for both of us. He was able to flesh out certain textures, lyrical ideas and grooves that served our songs in ways we never could’ve imagined.
Last words?
We’re super pumped to be heading out on tour to celebrate this new Moonless Night EP — catch us all over the USA in the coming months! Freddyandfrancine.com/tour
Socials?
