Franzie: First Source - CD

Franzie's debut album Prvoroj impresses with its novelty and absorption of influences from post-rock, psychedelia and Brno alternative. Veronika Stříbrná's strong and melodic vocals throughout the whole album seem to accompany the listener through an unknown landscape and there is again something to discover on the contemporary Czech music scene. Franzie or France or perhaps the English "frenzy"? The five musicians admit that its name contains everything. From allusions to France, Franz Kafka, the English word "frenzy" meaning "frenzy, madness" to Francis or, with exaggeration, the French drum school. The debut contains a total of seven songs, half of the tracks have been taking shape at a slow pace since 2017, but it was the arrival of Coronavirus that caused the band to shut themselves away in the rehearsal room, resulting in the second half of the album. Recording took place in Mark McGlinchey's (performer null) home studio in Brno under the baton of Rhys Braddock (Metronome Blues). Half of the material for the album was still under the name Superego Kid, but as time went on, the band felt the need to get rid of their old name. "When the bees feel that it is time to leave their hive and start a new colony, part of the colony flies away and starts a new colony, or the Priory. The first suit symbolizes a new beginning with a piece of the past under the skin. We feel the same way with the arrival of Franzie," adds drummer Erik Netušil. Czech plays an important role in Franzie's work and singer Veronika Stříbrná explains why. "Because of its diversity and the possibility to play with words, we have always preferred the Czech language. "The Czech lyrics carry considerable symbolism and clash in technical and often changing instrumental passages with bursts of noise and ambient. Most of the words in the songs are provided by Veronika Stříbrná and Jiří Ladzianský, who is also behind most of the instrumental ideas, which the band then completes together. Enjoy the noisy surfaces, ambient passages, intense vocals and predation that characterize the five Franzia on their debut Prvoroj.