Gillian Frances - ''Loose'

From an initial tenderness, that is at once haunting and ominous, blossoms a thundering outpouring of gloom. "Loose" (released today) is the latest cut to be taken from Gillian Frances' debut full-length album 'Miles Away From Myself', which is available now via Decency Den Records.

An intensely dark yet undeniably compelling work, 'Loose' blends delicate folk-inspired finger-picking with snarling bouts of distortion and wailing cries to form an utterly gripping alternative rock track. 'Loose' isn't just a compelling contrast in cascading emotion however, it's also a masterpiece in the subtlety of foreshadowing; intelligently using the device of repetition and returning refrains, expanding upon them to reinforce the tracks permeating atmosphere of anguish. 

An accomplished multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter, Frances will already be familiar to Earthly Pleasures readers having played bass and guitar in EP favorites Black Belt Eagle Scout, as well as for her collaborations with Surfer Rosie, This Is The Kit and Beverly. While there is some crossover to be found stylistically on her solo work, Frances invests a great deal of her personal experience on 'Miles Away From Myself' . The songs which make up the LP are almost confessional in their exploration of challenging introspective themes such as her battle with depression, anxiety, disassociation, heartbreak and codependency.

 Loss is a theme that is prominently explored in the collection, and with that in mind 'Loose' is perhaps the most fitting introduction to the album and to Frances' solo work as a whole. With it's contrasting wistfulness and grungy roar united in their sincerity of emotion, 'Loose' encapsulates the full range of bitter-sweet reminiscences captured on Miles Away From Myself' .