Fran – “So Surreal” Video

Fran – “So Surreal” Video

Fran is the project of Chicago’s Maria Jacobson. Originally an actor by trade, she bought a guitar and taught herself to play while working at a summer repertory theater in rural Indiana. She began writing songs while teaching English in a small city in Mexico. And upon returning to Chicago, she got a band together and started recording them.

A Private Picture, Fran’s deeply personal debut album, is out next month. We’ve already heard one song, the patriarchy-smashing lead single “Company.” And now Jacobson and her band have shared another, the effortless catchy “So Surreal.” As Jacobson explains:

So Surreal is about daydreaming. There’s a huge disconnect between the world we create in our minds and the external world. In our minds, we jump from scene to scene, we see ourselves as more than and less than we are. We are constantly imagining the possibilities of relationships, dreams, jobs, pursuits. You have to be a Buddhist monk to just walk down the street.

Our daydreams have real power and can transform our lives — but they also pull us out of the momentum of what’s happening. This song tries to capture that frenzy of being pulled in too many directions at once, even if it’s all in your head.

The song’s accompanying music video, directed by Tony Duvall, is an homage to the late-90’s/early-2000s pop music videos of Jacobson’s youth. “The gorgeous sets and costumes, the bright lights with roving cameras, the flawless dance moves. This is my jacked-up version of an N’Sync music video,” she says. Watch and listen below.

Fran

TRACKLIST:
01 “Now”
02 “Company”
03 “So Surreal”
04 “Time And Place”
05 “In My Own Time”
06 “(I Don’t Want You To Think) I’ve Moved On”
07 “A Private Picture”
08 “Desert Wanderer”

TOUR DATES:
11/08 Cincinnati, OH @ The Hub OTR
11/09 Columbus, OH @ Bourbon St. Bar
11/10 Buffalo, NY @ Electric Ave.
11/11 Hudson, NY @ Spotty Dog
11/12 Middletown, CT @ Mac650
11/13 Boston, MA @ O’Brien’s Pub
11/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
11/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Anthorna Gallery
11/16 Washington, DC @ 7 Drum Live
11/17 Asheville, NC @ Beau Dome
11/18 Athens, GA @ Flicker Bar
11/19 Atlanta, GA @ DM
11/20 Louisville, KY @ Kaiju
11/23 Chicago, IL @ Hideout Inn

A Private Picture is out 11/15 on Fire Talk Records. Pre-order it here.

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