Storm Franklin (Ben Hiller and Juanita Stein) Release Debut LP
Loneliness In The Modern World Out Today
New Video For 'Y.O.U.R.A.S.T.A.R.'
"Gale force debut from producer Ben Hillier and Howling Bells' Juanita Stein."
Mojo
"Storm Franklin are our new garage punk heroes. Their single Einz Zwei Drei Martini has it all. The jam is full of vintage attitude, angst, and energy. Stylistically it recalls MC5 and early Pretenders. The vibe is infectious within a classic design.”
The Wild Is Calling
"Deep female vocals accompanied with psychedelic guitar riffs – this is what England and the rest of the world need right now.”
Open Call Magazine
“ Luscious female vocals, sensational melodic vibes, a killer chorus, and a delightful nod to the ’90s indie era”
Last Day Deaf
“Blending poetic discipline and a rock n’ roll agenda like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.”
Glide Magazine
November 3, 2023 - New York, NY: Storm Franklin, the duo comprising Juanita Stein (Howling Bells, solo) and Ben Hillier (producer for blur, Depeche Mode, Elbow, Nadine Shah and more), release the Sparks-inspired new video for their single Y.O.U.R.A.S.T.A.R.. The track is taken from Storm Franklin's debut LP Loneliness In The Modern World. It is the first release on Hillier's own Agricultural Audio. To celebrate the release the band will play Camden Assembly London on November 8.
Says Stein: “Y.O.U.R.A.S.T.A.R is a song about self realisation. The verse lyrics “When do you arrive? When do you get here?” are referencing the arrival of ones creative self. For years I have felt like I’ve been chasing something quite abstract artistically and this song marks a moment of arrival and acknowledgment, which is quite empowering. The words “You Are A Star’ are just as much a touchstone for myself as for the listener.”
Watch 'Y.O.U.R.A.S.T.A.R.' on YouTube:
Stein talks about the album: "Loneliness In The Modern World is an album which was crafted in the midst of very uncertain times. The title itself is a nod to a new type of loneliness, one which is exacerbated by the constant cycle of noise/news from the outside world. At the time of writing and recording, there was a palpable sense of quiet fear and unknowing, caused by certain world events taking place, but also more locally, a blustering storm which was brewing around the studio at the time. Musically, this manifested as a kind of urgency in a lot of the tracks, but we’re also reaching for hopefulness as a way to steer through the madness!”
About Storm Franklin
Storm Franklin came into being at Agricultural Audio, Hillier’s studio, which is set on a farm close to Lewes, in late 2021, during the tempest that gave them their name. The first time Hillier has stepped out from behind his producer ’s desk for an artist project in his own right, he and the Howling Bells front woman and solo artist, Juanita Stein, had first met the previous year, while working together on Juanita ’s critically acclaimed third solo album, Snapshot, a record saw them delve into realms of luscious psychedelia and indie pop, and a genesis that served as a starting point for much of the band’s evocative sound.
It was apparent early on in proceedings that musically they were headed in a very different direction to anything either of them had worked on previously. A cold contrast drives the pulse of Storm Franklin ’s music, and Juanita ’s sweeping melodies and lyrics, steeped in heartache, create an inspired soundtrack with Ben’s trademark striking production and adventurous rhythms.
The songs that materialised exist somewhere between the French pop nostalgia of AIR and 80s ’ bands such as Tears For Fears and The Cars. Ideas, lyrics, counter-melodies and synthesisers were colliding inside the studio that winter. Outside the studio walls, 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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