It astonishes me to say Francesqa are less than six months old. A band that formed just after the turn of the year and only played their first gig in May – yep, seven weeks ago – this three-track EP is absolutely incredible. Jaw-droppingly good stuff, the likes of ‘A Little Closer’ and ‘Move Your Hands‘ are better songs than their US peers have spent careers crafting.
So let’s just rewind a little. The band are based in Berkshire and are a five-piece. Ashley Wilkie’s vocals are brilliant throughout this record, drifting from the instantly singable to the heartfelt and emotional. The band can write anthemic tracks (‘A Little Closer’) and they can write slow burners too (‘Move Your Hands‘). There simply isn’t one wasted second on this demo, it’s all gold. It’s difficult to exactly pin down the band’s influences or who they sound like. There’s perhaps a little ‘Guilt Show’-era The Get Up Kids and they remind me of The Maple State‘s demos after the first EP (minus the keys and synth). They write just excellent rock songs that draw brilliant melodies and huge hooks together.
Francesqa are one of the brightest young bands around right now. I hear a lot of new music and a lot of new bands and this lot are as good as I’ve heard – how they’ve come up with this in just a few weeks is astonishing. I can’t wait to hear more.