Luxembourg-based artist Jana Bahrich’s indie-rock project Francis of Delirium is back with another new track, “The Funhouse.” The single and its self-directed music video arrive ahead of the band’s first-ever North American tour, a spring run supporting The Districts.
Mixed by Jolyon Thomas (Royal Blood, Slaves) and mastered by Joe Lambert (Sharon Van Etten, Deerhunter), “The Funhouse” has a despairing, yet dynamic intensity to it, as if the music itself is “so consumed by this feeling of dread,” as Bahrich sings. Despite its instrumental propulsion and industrial accents, “The Funhouse” is more elegy than anthem: “This isn’t a call to arms / This is a breakdown, a falling apart,” Bahrich confesses. Choral backing vocals and religious allusions give the song an almost apocalyptic energy, like a crisis of faith set to chugging guitars and pounding drums. “Slow it down,” Bahrich implores as the song slows to a stop, as if pleading with the powers that be to ease up.
“‘The Funhouse’ is largely about how we are adapting to the chaos that is present in our everyday lives,” Bahrich, 20, explains in a statement. “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 unfazed by the mayhem that surrounds you.”
“The Funhouse” is the second single Francis of Delirium have put out since the release of their acclaimed Wading EP in April 2021, after first following that record up with September’s “Come Out and Play.” There’s been no word yet on a larger body of work from the band, but we’ll be keeping an ear out.
See the “The Funhouse” video below and Francis of Delirium’s tour dates below.
Francis of Delirium Tour Dates:
March
11 – Mr Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA *
12 – A&R Music Bar, Columbus, OH *
13 – Zanzabar, Louisville, KY *
15 – Metro, Chicago, IL *
16 – Turf Club, Saint Paul, MN *
18 – Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO *
19 – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT *
21 – Neumos, Seattle, WA *
22 – Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR *
25 – August Hall, San Francisco, CA *
26 – Lodge Room, LA, CA *
27 – Casbah Rock, San Diego, CA *
29 – Valley Bar, Phoenix, AZ *
30 – MW Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM *
April
01 – Dada Dallas, Dallas, TX *
02 – Mohawk, Austin, TX *
03 – Warehouse Live, Houston, TX *
08 – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON *
09 – Bar Le Ritz, Montreal, QC *
10 – The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA *
12 – Space Ballroom, Hamden, CT *
13 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC *
14 – Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY *
27 – Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn, NY
(* – Supporting The Districts)
