Dublin’s FRANKI lets us know it’s okay to be stuck with his dreamy escape, “Santa Monica.”
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Stream: “Santa Monica” – FRANKI
Right now, even though we are all seemingly stuck, it’s impossible not to compare how your time being stuck is as opposed to others in your life. Do you feel like you haven’t done enough with this time? Do you feel like others are doing more? Do you feel like you’re more stuck than those around you? Dublin indie artist FRANKI encapsulates the feeling of being stuck and watching others around you flourish into something new with his debut single, “Santa Monica.”
As FRANKI puts it, “This song means a lot to me because it came at a time when I was feeling extremely lost and uncertain about where my future was headed. The whole writing process for me was a journey between doubting my abilities and finding comfort in old memories. The inspiration came when a lot of my close friends and loved ones were taking steps into new chapters of their lives and moving away to these paradisiacal type places. It’s difficult when you feel stuck in life but even more so when it seems everyone around you is moving on.” The escapism vibe of this song will let you mellow out, take it in and realize you are not alone. Dreamy vocals and muted synths immediately put our ears at ease as FRANKI blissfully leads us through the track,
No sale
I can barely move with a closed sail
Hopes fail
Following the coast but our loves stale
The chorus picks up with an alt funk vibe, while FRANKI’S still ever so cool voice guides us along harmonically,
I, I know
You’ll never call me back and
I, I heard
You moved to Santa Monica
I, I know
We’ll never go back to
Our, our home
It’s full of broken memories
The rhythm of the track ebbs and flows almost effortlessly, allowing us to really sink in to what FRANKI is saying. As he states, “The music might seem a little inappropriately upbeat considering the lyrics but I’ve always liked that contradiction. I feel that it’s a much more human way to express sad emotions with an underlying tone of positivity because that’s how we process low points in the real world, we look for comfort and lean on the silver linings.”
I, hope that we had more
Than you suggested
Feels like I’m too scared
My heart won’t get over it
You leap without looking
and leave me here wondering
We’re led through to the last chorus only left wanting more. As FRANKI states, “It was one of the first songs I properly wrote as a solo artist which was strangely fortunate in tying in with where I was at mentally, I think it allowed me to properly express how I felt at the time. Not having band mates to bounce thoughts and progress off can be isolating but in return it gives you a sense of creative freedom that felt perfect for me.” A feeling most are familiar with these days, if by choice or forced, we find ourselves isolated and only with our own thoughts to battle with – however sometimes, this leads to the most honest, relatable and pure work. That is what FRANKI has done with “Santa Monica.”
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? © Cian Copeland
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