Buddy J Francis Archives

Buddy J Francis – Paralysed by Fear: Avant-Warped-Garde Psych Rock

Posted on 22 November 2023

Adelaide’s most endearingly audacious artist, Buddy J Francis suited himself in pink and his sound in psychonautic scuzz for his latest installation of Avant-Warped-Garde psych rock, Paralysed by Fear.

Each of the kaleidoscopically fuzzed instrumentals you hear on the release was individually tracked, giving the progressions plenty of mind-melting volition to captivate listeners within the lo-fi production, which laments the stagnancy that being afraid to take life-altering leaps breeds.

Even with so many experimental layers to his work between his instrumental experimentation, tongue-in-cheek guises and lyrical conceptuality, it is all too easy to get on the same level as the artist, who has transcended parody to deliver deliciously delirious subversion.

If Paralysed by Fear racks up 10k streams on Spotify in the first week, Buddy J Francis has vowed to get his nipple pierced, allowing his staunch fanbase to get their sonic and sadistic kicks in one swing.

Thankfully, there are fewer conditions attached to the imminence of his forthcoming LP, which Paralysed by Fear snuck out of prematurely; it is set to arrive in early 2024. Keep Francis on your radar for it, and undoubtedly other outlandish antics via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Buddy J Francis became the Eckhart Tolle of psych-rock with his latest single, Breathe

Posted on 30 June 2023

Don’t be fooled by the meditative posture on the cover art, the latest single, Breathe, from the alt-rock Avant-Gardist, Buddy J Francis, is a frenetic firestorm that could give the most overzealous tracks from Oh Sees a run for their galvanising money.

With angular guitar work sent into overdrive in the electronica-infused psych-rock hit, you won’t get much time to catch your breath as you roll with the melodically distorted punches. But if your playlists are crying out for a psychedelic shot of adrenaline, which mainlines into your veins through the unique interplay of trippy vocals, synths and guitars, you will get a potent fix via Breathe.

If you can tear your attention away from the experimentalism in the bedroom recording, you will note the context of the cover art in the lyricism as Buddy J Francis establishes himself as the Eckhart Tolle of psych-rock by teaching the importance of conscious breathing to overcome sleeplessness, anxiety, and depression.

Stream Breathe on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast