At Refinery29, our ethos of discovery means that we are always keeping our ear to the ground, hoping to unearth the very best new artist, or an exciting collaboration from a musician we already know and love. Which is why we take our music very seriously, and don't put our stamp of approval on anything that we don't already have on our own iPod/Spotify/various listening devices. So, you can imagine we are particularly excited to premiere "Better Man" from Frances Cone off of its self-titled EP, due April 29, 2014. Here is what you gotta know:
Who? Southern sweetheart Christina Frances Cone found her band soulmates in Jeff Malinowski and Andy Doherty. You can find them in Brooklyn.
How long has it been around? Christina Cone put out a solo record in early 2013 under the moniker “Frances Cone,” but went from solo to trio in August 2013.
What does it sound like? Frances Cone sounds like nostalgia mixed with folk-pop: Imagine going through a scrapbook and having someone sing you the stories.
When should you listen to them? If you are taking a trip down memory lane or missing something (or someone) you lost, Frances Cone will be your saving grace.
If this song was an ice cream flavor, it would be: Peanut butter and chocolate with sprinkles — smooth and delicious.
Frances Cone first popped onto our radar back in 2012 with the video for the gorgeous indie-pop track “Come Back.” This gorgeous track was just the beginning: The (now) trio has shown how raw and dreamy its music can get with “Better Man.” In some ways, its new sound is reminiscent of Azure Ray and Local Natives (courtesy of the great drum clicks). Speaking with Refinery29, the band says “Better Man” is “the first clear departure from the more solo sounding Come Back (which Refinery premiered in 2012) to a more driven, realized full band sound.” Needless to say, we’re not mad about this departure at all — heck, we kind of love it.