Francis is a Swedish

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

formed in

Mora, Sweden Mora is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Mora Municipality, Sweden, Mora Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 10,896 inhabitants in 2010. History There are signs of human activity in the surroundings of Mora dating from ...

in 2006 and currently based in

Falun Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabitan ...

. The band consists of vocalist Petra Mases, drummer Petter Nygårdh, guitarist Jerker Krumlinde, bassist Paulina Mellkvist and keyboardist Oskar Bond. The band was originally conceived as a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

interpretation of

American folk music The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as ''traditional music'', ''traditional folk music'', ''contemporary folk music'', ''vernacular music,'' or ''roots music''. Many traditional songs have been sung ...

. Francis has gained a following in the DIY community of Sweden as well as in the other

Scandinavian countries Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swede ...

and the Netherlands, where they performed at the Fabriq Festival in 2012.

Beginnings

Francis has its origins in the DIY scene in Mora. During the break after their first album in 2011, released only in Sweden, the band members experienced several changes in their personal lives as well as changes in the lineup. Due to these changes, the band refrained from putting out a full album until 2016.

2015-Present: ''Marathon''

In October 2015, Francis released their first worldwide single, ''Follow Me Home'', to be featured on their album ''Marathon''. The band collaborated with producer Nicolas Vernhes to create a "crisp, lucid guitar-pop" contrasting with melancholy lyrics. The song focuses on lyrics at first and then shifts focus to the instrumentals. This single met with mostly positive reviews in underground blogs, with one reviewer proclaiming them "a name to remember" and ''Follow Me Home'' a "5-minute wonder."

Musical style and influences

The original founders of Francis aimed to put a punk spin on modern folk music, citing American musicians

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

and

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

. On the album ''Marathon'', the band's sound evolved into a softer pop sound, and they began to focus on politics, including issues of

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, as well as issues of gender equality.

Band members

Vocalist Petra Mases and drummer Petter Nygårdh were part of Francis's initial makeup. The band's forthcoming ''Marathon'' will be their first recording to feature the current lineup. Mases previously worked as a composer for a short film.

Discography

Albums * ''Lekomberg, We Were Kin'' (2011) * ''Marathon'' (2016) EPs * ''This Must Be Blood'' (2012) Singles * ''Follow Me Home'' (2015) * “Swing” (2017) * “Wild Heart (2018)

References

{{Authority control Swedish folk music groups