This first release from LA-based producer j.franxis works on two levels. You can either bang it on and sink into the carpet, shedding the weight of your day/night in its dancing synths and mesmerizing vocals. Or you can use it as a jumping off point for some intense philosophical debate.
The lead single from j.franxis's debut EP 'Sundowner' (released April 7th on Chain Letter Collective) explores the loneliness of human beings in a universe that's forever evolving. Titled 'Fortitude', it's about the courage we have to make our existence meaningful despite our realization that we all reach our inevitable end.
Over OMD synths with flashings of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence', j.franxis's vocals come over like a yearning Brian Eno and are softened by the husky tones of guest singer Emily Kokal (Warpaint). Making an appearance in the video too, Kokal explores a desolate, light-drenched land with j.franxis, a place that resembles Star Wars' Tatooine as if re-imagined by experimental film-maker Terrence Malick.
“Creation was once just a collection of gasses and particles colliding violently into this dimension of existence that all humans are bound by,” says Jeán Güsto, the video's director. “As intense and definite as the experience of this dimension seems it's only temporary. So it's with great fortitude that humans push on, struggling everyday to make sense of it.”
Words: Eve Barlow
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