Post-punk duo Frenchy And The Punk has presented "Hypnotized", a seductive dance floor romp and the first taste of its upcoming eighth album, Midnight Garden, set for release on 28 June via EA Recordings.
Midnight Garden follows the band's critically acclaimed Zen Ghost album and Siouxsie And The Banshees tribute, "Cities In Dust". This collection bursts with dance grooves, guitar-driven upbeat melodies and soaring vocals. Written in France and the USA, this post-punk, new wave and dark alternative-drenched cauldron of songs addresses themes ranging from the gothic reimagining of the Garden of Eden, rising from the ashes and starting over, to socio-political commentary.
"Scott came up with the guitar riff for 'Hypnotized' back in 2017. We were staying in a hotel in Atlantic City in-between tour stops. The hotel dated back to the 1930s with beautiful art-deco style decor. It was completely deserted and had an eerie presence - it was definitely haunted. We stumbled upon a lounge area looking over the ocean with a grand piano and spent the afternoon, with the place to ourselves, playing and coming up with song ideas. I didn't like any lyrics that I was coming up with for that particular riff and it got shelved", explains Samantha Stephenson.
"Once in a while, I'd go back to it but it wasn't until this past January, seven years later, that it finally took shape. We went to an art opening where photographer and mixed media artist Alice Teeple was showing her Solve Et Coagula exhibit. I was very drawn to a book she had created with photographs and French text that she told me was inspired by the French hypnotist Jean-Martin Charcot and I ended up falling down the Charcot rabbit hole. We were in the middle of working on the new album and I was revisiting that guitar riff, and the hypnosis theme found its way into the song, fitting perfectly after all those years. The theme of hypnosis is a double-edged sword. In one respect, it's something that feels peaceful and sensual; in another, it feels unnerving in its ability to placate and overpower into subjugation."
Scott Helland adds on "Hypnotized": "The song sprung from the opening grungy bass line that I played with an electro-acoustic hybrid guitar through octave and distortion pedals. The groove pulses beneath Samantha's soaring vocals and lets up occasionally to allow me to growl the word 'Hypnotized'. I love that it's a confounding track in that it hypnotizes you to move. We love to work with contrasts". Link
