FRANCIS NEVE
THE SECOND TIME WE FIRST MET
RELEASED 20th SEPTEMBER 2010
FFR RECORDS

„X DEBUT MINI-ALBUM FROM SINGER-SONGWRITER FRANCIS NEVE
„X FEATURING THE ADDICTIVE SINGLE ¡¥I WONT MAKE YOU BETTER¡¦


September 20th sees the release of ¡¥The Second Time We First Met,¡¦ the seven-track debut from Essex born vocalist, songwriter and producer Francis Neve.

With influences including Roger Walters, God Speed, Mogwai, A Silver Mount Zion, Mice Parade and Cinematic Orchestra, ¡¥The Second Time We First Met¡¦ is an intimate collection of emotive lo-fi pop, narrating the lifespan of a relationship. Yes, it¡¦s a concept album, but only if you insist.

¡§Each song is a different stage of the relationship,¡¨ says Francis (not his real name). ¡§I¡¦m not addressing why it doesn¡¦t work though, it¡¦s more about documenting the flow.¡¨

The album opens with the fragile ¡¥Brian¡¦s Drying Up¡¦ ¡V a downbeat account on the trials and temptations of Brian, our protagonist. This is followed by the uplifting ¡¥Come Near,¡¦ in which he meets his girlfriend-to-be for the first time. Their quiet intimacy in ¡¥Invisible Robes¡¦ is rocked by bittersweet (but radio-friendly) lead single ¡¥I Won¡¦t Make You Better¡¦, which ponders our characters¡¦ future, aided by an African bedouin blues-inspired guitar hook and subtle folk textures.

The cracks are starting to show by the time we disembark at fictional seaside town ¡¥Winterbury,¡¦ the album¡¦s only duet with vocalist Lucy Randell, whilst things are well and truly over in ¡¥The Woman in the High Castle.¡¦ ¡¥You Must Be Somewhere¡¦ nails the coffin with the disturbing declaration: ¡§Make no mistake I¡¦ll get you back/ Make no mistake, I¡¦ll freak you out.¡¨

¡§The last track¡¦s the introspective one,¡¨ says Francis, with a cheeky smile. ¡§It deals with losing someone and deciding on retribution. Quite sinister, in fact.¡¨

Born and raised in Hornchurch, Essex, Francis started playing the guitar and writing songs at the age of 12, forming his first band, Next Of Six, at 16. A brief stint in indie outfit The Last followed, with Chris Hayden (Florence & The Machine) on drums, before Francis decided to concentrate on solo material and a career in sound-engineering. He opened his FRR studio in East London in early 2009 and ¡¥The Second Time We First Met,¡¦ was recorded with Francis singing lead vocals and playing almost all instruments, including guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.

His sound-engineering skills mean, of course, that Francis is confident about his own live shows. ¡§We¡¦re planning on full band shows, airing the album in its entirety,¡¨ he says. ¡§The tunes seem to work better live. And if nothing else, I can guarantee the sound will be flawless.¡¨

Francis Neve will be playing shows across London this summer. His album ¡¥The Second Time We First Met¡¦ is out September 20.

http://www.francisneve.co.uk/ http://www.myspace.com/francisneve

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