Francis of Delirium—the project of Luxembourg-based musician Jana Bahrich—announces her second album, Run, Run Pure Beauty, out May 29th via Dalliance Recordings, and releases the single/video, “It’s a Beautiful Life.” The epitome of a modern artist, Jana does most things herself, no matter how painstaking—writing, producing, directing, often handpainting t-shirts the day of shows when the band have run out of merch. This has given her band, Francis of Delirium, a unique identity, with her rock confessionals breathing a new life into the genre and her paintings creating a striking design aesthetic.
Francis of Delirium released their first single, “Quit F**king Around,” in 2020 as Jana was finishing high school. Shortly after its release, she signed to Dalliance Recordings and proceeded to release three EPs: All Change (2020), Wading (2021), and The Funhouse (2022). While the EPs fizzed with promise, the debut Francis of Delirium album, Lighthouse (2024), landed its punches. Seeking a more vulnerable and open sonic palette, Jana wove in pop elements to create anthems that celebrated heartbreak and love. Paste praised the album as “a rewarding experience that captures a talented, young artist at the crossroads between adolescence and adulthood,” and NME raved, “Bahrich’s choruses, almost every one, are lump-in-your-throat gorgeous.”
Produced by Jana and long time collaborator Chris Hewett, and mixed by Nicolas Vernhes (Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, Silver Jews), Run, Run Pure Beauty continues in this vein, notably on the previously released, “Little Black Dress,” and today’s new single, “It’s a Beautiful Life.” The song immediately hits with an undeniable chorus and euphoric guitars. Lyrically, Jana is searching for beauty within, basing the song on vignettes snatched from moments away: “A coffee I had with a pianist who was about to play a Philip Glass piece at the Philharmonie in Berlin, watching a couple break up on a New York City park bench, walking past a choir rehearsing in a basement, and examining a loneliness that feels ingrained into daily life,” Jana says. “I’m not denying pain but trying to find the beauty alongside it.”
The song’s must-watch video, directed by Kiyan Agadjani, captures the eternal teen movie summer with aplomb. Of Agadjani, Jana says, “He sent me his short film Arman & Elisa and I was incredibly impressed. A year later, I went to him with an idea about gay basketball and he was in. We started referencing movies like Little Miss Sunshine, Space Jam and Juno and wrote a treatment about a rag tag team called ‘The Rats’ going up against a professional team, ‘The Giants’. The video ended up being about perseverance and connection, both on and off screen. We cast a lot of our friends, musicians, artists and filmmakers from Luxembourg and I’m still not totally sure how it happened, but it took us eight months to finish.”
Watch the Video for “It’s a Beautiful Life”
Live, Francis of Delirium are Jana (guitar and vocals), Jeff Hennico (bass), and Denis Schumacher (drums). Together, their brilliant quiet-loud dynamic and tight interplay elevate Jana’s songs. Over the last five years, they’ve headlined shows, played festivals, and toured across Europe and North America with the likes of Blondshell, The Districts, Horsegirl, Briston Maroney, Soccer Mommy, and Bôa, who they will support in Europe this spring.
Run, Run Pure Beauty is an excavation of hope in bleak times; its songs of discovery, despair, and perseverance ultimately serve as a mirror on its creator and is a brilliant next installment in the Francis of Delirium arc.
Pre-Order Run, Run Pure Beauty
Watch the Video for “Little Black Dress”
Francis of Delirium Tour Dates
Sat. April 18 – Paris, FR @ Élysée Montmartre *
Mon. April 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
Tue. April 21 – Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich *
Thu. April 23 – Ursus, PL @ Klub Progresja *
Fri. April 24 – Poznań, PL @ TAMA *
Sun. April 26 – Köln, DE @ Bürgerhaus Stollwerck *
* supporting Bôa
Keep your mind open.
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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]