As Francis of Delirium and their 20-year-old figurehead Jana Bahrich have grown and matured, they’ve started to tackles bigger topics and coupled it with a bigger and more boisterous sound. That continues with their first offering of 2022, “The Funhouse”, which is “largely about how we are adapting to the chaos that is present in our everyday lives,” according to Bahrich. She continues:
“The way it can feel that the world is crashing down around us and in order to protect ourselves, we become numb to the sheer terror of it all. Sort of like walking through a funhouse and attempting to remain unphased by the mayhem that surrounds you.”
True to its chaotic conception, “The Funhouse” presents Francis of Delirium’s most enraged and anarchic sound yet; snarling guitars and rapid fire drums painting a picture of dishevelment. However, when Bahrich’s vocal comes in, everything fades down a bit – it feels like we’re suddenly pulled into her thought stream, the world clattering on around her. She matches the quickfire instrumentation with an outpouring of words that turns her predicament into a physical feeling (“I’m a free-floating body with the skin slipping off me”) that is simultaneously thrilling in their honesty and scary in how relatable they are. As the song thunders into a cathartic peak, she speaks for all of us as she repeats “I don’t know what’s left to believe” – but then manages to take some deep breaths, regain composure and “slow it down” to finish the song. It’s then that we as listeners can finally catch our breaths – ready for another listen.
The video for “The Funhouse” was self-directed by the band, check it out below or find the song on streaming platforms.
“The Funhouse” is out on Dalliance Recordings. You can follow Francis of Delirium on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
They’ll be supporting The Districts on US tour this month and La Luz in Europe later in the year. Their full dates are:
US Tour
09/03 – HMAC, Harrisburg, PA
11/03 – Mr Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
12/03 – A&R Music Bar, Columbus, OH
13/03 – Zanzabar, Louisville, KY
15/03 – Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
16/03 – Turf Club, Saint Paul, MN
18/03 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
19/03 – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT
21/03 – Neumos, Seattle, WA
22/03 – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
23/03 – Treefort Festival, Boise, ID
25/03 – August Hall, San Francisco, CA
03/26 – Lodge Room, LA, CA
27/03 – Casbah Rock, San Diego, CA
29/03 – Valley Bar, Phoenix, AZ
30/03 – MW Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
01/04 – Dada Dallas, Dallas, TX
02/04 – Mohawk, Austin, TX
03/04 – Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
05/04 – The Basement East, Nashville, TN
07/04 – El Club, Detroit, MI
08/04 – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON
09/04 – Bar Le Ritz, Montreal, QC
10/04 – The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA
12/04 – Space Ballroom, Hamden, CT
13/04 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
14/04 – Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
16/04 – Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
27 / 04 – Baby’s Alright, Brooklyn, NY
30/04 – Shaky Knees Fest, Atlanta, GA
European tour supporting La Luz
06/05 – Oceanen, Gothenburg, Sweden
07/05 – Hus 7, Stockholm, Sweden
08/05 – Krosset, Oslo, Norway
09/05 – Hotel Cecil, Copenhagen, Denmark
11/05 – Molotow, Hamburg, Germany
12/05 – Frannz Club, Berlin, Germany
13/05 – Manufaktur, Schorndorf, Germany
14/05 – Feierwerk (Hansa39), Munich, Germany
16/05 – Rotondes, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
19/05 – Upload, Barcelona, Spain
21/05 – Dabadaba, San Sebastian, Spain
