Storm Franklin (Ben Hiller and Juanita Stein) Announce Debut LP
Loneliness In The Modern World Out November 3
New Video 'The Fear' Out Today
September 21, 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), will release their whirlwind of a debut album, Loneliness In The Modern World, on November 3rd via Agricultural Audio. Recorded in Hillier’s studio, Agricultural Audio, in the South Downs, during the tempest that gave them their name, the album release will also precipitate Storm Franklin’s live debut at Camden Assembly in London on November 8th.
Loneliness in The Modern World is preceded by the release of The Fear EP and a video of the same name is released today. Says Juanita of the title track, “The Fear was written around the time a major storm was brewing in the south of England (hence the band name Storm Franklin) also it was still the ongoing pandemic and there was a raging war beginning in Ukraine. So there was a genuine feeling of intense strangeness and unknowing amongst ourselves and peers. This definitely impacted the music and lyrically, this particular song. Even still, I ’m trying to capture a collective spirit and find comfort in the fact that we ’re all experiencing this strangeness together.”
Watch 'The Fear' on YouTube:
The tracklisting for Loneliness In The Modern World runs as follows:
1 - Hush Now
2 - Einz Zwei Drei Martini
3 - The Fear
4 - Why Do I Have To Choose
5 - Push The Panic
6 - Y.O.U.R.A.S.T.A.R
7 - The Last Time
8 - Lourdes
9 - Here Comes The Knife
10 - Take Some Time
11 - Fix Me
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.
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