Photo: Alice Teeple
Imagine the Garden of Eden as the ultimate getaway from the hustle and bustle of life’s troubles, with Adam and Eve as the poster couple for perfect harmony. It’s a paradise where lovers find peace and freedom from daily concerns. But then, Eve takes a bite of that infamous apple, unlocking the knowledge of good and evil, and—poof!—they’re out of paradise. Ever since, humanity has been pining for that lost innocence, that pure connection, and the uncomplicated love that once was..
Now Frenchy and the Punk are taking a bite out of the Big Apple themselves, with their eighth album, Midnight Garden, released through NYC indieEA Recordings. This album comes a year after their critically-acclaimed Zen Ghost. Bursting with dance grooves, upbeat guitar melodies, and soaring vocals, it’s a perfect kick-off for the summer season.
Formed in 2005, Frenchy and the Punk are Samantha Stephenson (Frenchy, naturally) on vocals and percussion, and Scott Helland (Deep Wound, Outpatients, Guitarmy of One) on guitar. They offer a lively mix of post-punk, dark folk, new wave, goth, and punk cabaret, making for a delightfully eclectic blend.
On Midnight Garden, Stephenson hits her stride – lyrically, vocally and with the synth sounds peppering the album. Helland shows his knack for infectious, and often euphoric, guitar melodies, propelling these tracks and perfectly complementing Frenchy’s vocals.
“Midnight Garden feels like a new beginning of sorts,” Stephenson muses. “Even though this is our eighth studio album, there’s a lot of rising from the ashes, or starting over energy in these songs. I had a sense of things coming to an end, a kind of clearing the air and moving forward with a renewed sense of clarity and purpose. I feel like I am fully engaged in this music process, more so than ever before. I’m giving it my all, whereas up until a couple of years ago, I was fighting internally with the push and pull of visual arts vs music. I’m ready to let go of the past, I’m ready for a new chapter.”
Opening with the euphoric title track, Midnight Garden offers a gothic re-imagining of the Garden of Eden, perfect for soulmates wanting to escape worldly woes. This is followed by the eerie howls of Skip Boom, an intense love song about powerful passion that could either spectacularly explode – or implode.
Then comes Hypnotized, a dance floor frenzy that dives into a state of relaxation and hypnotic surrender. The song’s message is all about letting go of misconceptions and crafting your own reality, emphasizing the power of the mind over matter and creating a delightful sense of floating and weightlessness.
Immortal follows the Siouxsie playbook of gothic psychedelia, featuring Frenchy’s powerful vocals. She explodes into the chorus with a furious tambourine, delivering a sound that’s both intense and a bit whimsical. It’s like a dark carnival ride where you can’t help but enjoy the wild, eerie atmosphere, even as it sends shivers down your spine.
‘Like In A Dream’ bathes the listener in its reflective, beautiful moodiness, piercing the gloom with flickers of light. It describes a surreal and dreamlike experience of floating in the sea, feeling both immersed and detached. This sense of being is trapped in a perpetual dream state, where everything feels ethereal and unreal, yet there is a yearning for something more tangible and meaningful.
Mr. Scorpion bemoans the skewed balance of power, envisioning a world free from outdated ideologies. The remaining tracks deliver guitar-driven dance grooves with soaring vocals. Sleepwalk Shuffle is a post-punk tune that humorously critiques the cultural direction we’re all stumbling along in as a society. Lighting Up The Sky puts Helland’s formidable guitar skills on the forefront, playing off the vocals with equal fury.
The album wraps up with End of An Era, a straightforward synth-driven track that leaves you with an ominous drone, perfectly capturing the vibe of our times. It’s like the musical equivalent of looking at your phone’s battery at 1%—you know something’s ending, and it’s got that eerie, inevitable feeling.
Listen to Midnight Garden below:
Frenchy and the Punk is vocalist, percussionist, and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland (Outpatients, Deep Wound). Influenced by The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, Concrete Blonde, and The B52’s, the duo thrive in their trademark blend of post-punk and dark folk music…at times we also hear the anthemic likes of Florence and the Machine.
French-born, but raised in the UK and USA, Samantha Stephenson’s study of piano and dance ignited her eventual rejection of corporate conformity; fuelling a quest to lead a truly autonomous life through art and music. Frenchy doesn’t shy away from theatrics: her infectious vivacity, commanding dance moves and bellowing voice weave into a mesmerizing combination. Helland anchors her with his skillful guitar work, a wonderful alchemy of complimentary energies.
A son of jazz-loving teachers, Scott Helland grew up in Western Massachusetts and was a vital player on the region’s fertile early hardcore punk scene, including time playing in Deep Wound, along with Dinosaur Jr. founders J Mascis and Lou Barlow.
Helland and Stephenson met in NYC in 1998, when Stephenson spontaneously jumped on stage to accompany Helland during his solo guitar performance. The artistic union was immediate, powerful and undeniable – and so is their personal union. The pair began to tour with fevered zeal, turning heads with their striking aesthetic, steadily building fervent fans on the mystical-folk/steampunk festival, coffeehouse, convention, and club circuits with their boisterous, revival-like live shows.
The duo has forged their own distinct path, touring the US and Europe with their artful two-person powerhouse of sound. To date, they’ve performed with Dead Can Dance’s Peter Ulrich and Dresden Dolls’ Brian Viglione, Thomas Dolby, Dinosaur Jr., The World Inferno Friendship Society, Rasputina, Cruxshadows, Aurelio Voltaire and Faun.‘Lost In A Dream’ is available everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.
On June 28, the ‘Midnight Garden’ album, now available to order, will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. After a successful UK tour, the band kicks off their American tour on June 22.
Catch Frenchy and the Punk on tour this summer and autumn!
TOUR DATES
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