Storm Franklin (Ben Hiller and Juanita Stein) To Release Debut EP
'The Fear' Part 1 Out September 8
New Video: Einz Zwei Drei Martini Out Today
'The Fear' Part 1 Out September 8
New Video: Einz Zwei Drei Martini Out Today
July 12, 2023 - New York, NY: Storm Franklin, the new duo comprising Juanita Stein (Howling Bells, solo) and Ben Hillier (producer for blur, Depeche Mode, Elbow, Nadine Shah etc), release a brand new single and video and announce the release of their debut double EP. The Fear EP Part 1 is set for release on September 8 and the second installment will be released later in the year with both EP’s released together on vinyl.
The new track, 'Einz Zwei Drei Martini,' comes accompanied by a video, filmed guerilla-style on the streets of Brighton during The Great Escape earlier this year. Hillier says of the shoot: "We wanted to do a performance video and Juanita came up with the idea of shooting it outside this cool-looking amusement arcade near the beach in Brighton. So we decided to do it guerrilla style - rock up in a van, jump out, set up and play and get a whole bunch of mates down to shoot it on their phones. We managed to get two run-throughs before the owner of the arcade told us to fuck off because we’d woken him up. It was about 7:30pm."
The new track, 'Einz Zwei Drei Martini,' comes accompanied by a video, filmed guerilla-style on the streets of Brighton during The Great Escape earlier this year. Hillier says of the shoot: "We wanted to do a performance video and Juanita came up with the idea of shooting it outside this cool-looking amusement arcade near the beach in Brighton. So we decided to do it guerrilla style - rock up in a van, jump out, set up and play and get a whole bunch of mates down to shoot it on their phones. We managed to get two run-throughs before the owner of the arcade told us to fuck off because we’d woken him up. It was about 7:30pm."
The Fear EP Part 1 Tracklist:
Storm Franklin came into being at Agricultural Audio, which is, as its name implies is set on a farm close to Lewes UK. The new label launched this month in partnership with The Orchard, and will see its first release in Storm Franklin. This is first time Hillier has stepped out from behind the producer’s desk for an artist project in his own right, here he join up with Howling Bells front woman and solo artist, Juanita Stein.
Hillier and Stein had first met in 2020, while working together on Juanita's critically acclaimed third solo album, Snapshot. That record saw them delve into realms of luscious psychedelia and indie pop, a genesis that has no doubt served as a starting point for much of Storm Franklin’s evocative sound.
Feeling creatively inspired Hillier and Stein decided to head back into the studio with their only clear objective being to build songs together this time. It was apparent early on in proceedings that musically they were headed in an entirely different direction to anything either of them had worked on previously. A cold contrast drives the pulse of Storm Franklin's music. Juanita's sweeping melodies and lyrics steeped in heartache, create an inspired soundtrack combined with Ben’s trademark striking production and adventurous rhythms.
What ultimately materialized were songs that exist somewhere between the French pop nostalgia of AIR and eighties bands such as Tears For Fears and The Cars. Ideas, lyrics, counter-melodies and synthesizers were colliding inside the studio that winter, while outside those walls, there was a palpable sense of panic that had started to set in. With post-pandemic anxiety looming and the fear of a new war escalating, it was impossible not to feel the strangeness of it all. This was set against a significant storm brewing in the south of England at the time, named "Storm Franklin". Gale force winds, flying debris and fallen trees accompanied each drive back and forth from the studio, and so it felt like the perfect band name to encapsulate the moment.
Agricultural Audio's mission statement: Since 2015 Agricultural Audio has been a studio made of straw in a barn in the middle of a field in Sussex, UK
Agricultural Audio is now also an independent record label.
We’re lucky enough to work with many self-motivated creative musicians who regularly come through our doors, helping them write, record and produce their music. Now we can offer them the framework to get their records released and hopefully reach the audience they deserve.
We have the means of production and now we have the route to market.
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