By Daniel Warren Hill
“Happy Valentines Day” is a line from JW Francis’ latest single, “Sweet As A Rose,” which you won’t soon forget, even when the season for giving and receiving valentines is long past. Every year around this time, Francis puts out a call on Instagram – “If you send me the name of your Valentine, and the reason you love them, I’ll write a song for them on your behalf.”
This song was written from one line where a respondent mentioned that someone named Sanaz was “sweet as a rose.” That lyrical foundation is built on the kind of upbeat but understated sound that has lifted up New York-based lo-fi legend in the making, JW Francis, in the minds of listeners.
There is a very approachable feeling listening to Francis’ work. The nature of it is something to aspire to as a composer, while it is simple enough to be accessible for reproduction by those inspired by his work.
“Sweet As A Rose” is the follow-up to Francis’ 2020 album, We Share A Similar Joy, and 2021’s WANDERKID; the titles alone should give you some insight into the comforting and elevating nature of work, produced again with New York producer and engineer Sahil Ansari, and released once more on London based, Sunday Best Recordings (The Cure, David Lynch, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip), and with whom Francis was able to coordinate a number of dates in the UK back in October supporting the release of WANDERKID.
“Sweet As A Rose” joins a long line of love songs and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day; the kind of sentiments we should appreciate and value all year long, but are thankful to have the context of the holiday to mention and to bring to your attention. If you enjoy checking out this latest offering, we know you’ll enjoy JW Francis’ entire catalog.
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Daniel Warren Hill is an American musician, writer, and motivational speaker. He is best known as the frontman for Washington DC area Alternative Rock band YellowTieGuy, as co-founder of Capitol Groove Collective, and increasing the exposure of artists on a global scale through his work with Alchemical Records.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
