Mick Francis recently released a four-track EP titled ‘EPO.’

The first thing I noticed about ‘EPO’ was Mick Francis’ vocal flexibility- One moment it feels like the bright-timbred Billie Joe Armstrong is singing…but then in the next phrase it might switch to something like the mellow timbre of Jack Mannequins’ ‘Dark Blue’…and then later, psychedelic funk edge…

The first track ‘Be Ur Man’ has bright electro-bell timbred hits which are infused throughout. It begins with a far-off filtered sound, a bold statement… “If I can’t have you, then no one else can have you…”

Then the sound comes up to the front. A drum kit, sweepy punky electric guitar, and more vocal grit are added into the mix. After that, an enticing slap bass.In some ways, this track is a taunt- “Tell me how you’re self-assured”. But then it gets a bit more dejected. “And I try to understand, so I gave you all I can when I tried to be your man…”

From the falsettos to the chromatic guitar solo in the Instrumental break, a miniature rock opera has already happened in track one. And right when we think it’s about to end, the sound sparks back up again. Now it’s romantic as if we were listening to Angels & Airwaves ‘Breathe’.

“If someone else can have you, the way I used to have you
I’ll be in my car waiting…
I’m making it clear Im declaring, that those buckets of rain are waiting…”

Then it gets distorted, and we’re thrown into the mantra: “When you want to, say you want to, when you want to, say what you need to…”

Track 2 ‘Cut Off My Head’ starts strong with a catchy synth line. Lyrically, we’re reminded again of Angels & Airwaves or Blink-182. “Dead roses left on the stairs, like ghosts unaware that they exist in the air (that we’ve been breathing in….)”

But then the despair makes its cameo, as he asks…Can anybody hear me through this phone?!

As we fall into the chorus, the despair turns on its head- We’re feeling a bit dejected, but also playful…

“I want to cut off my head
And send it rolling on down the hill
‘Til the coyotes stand and slurp the thoughts I used to feel”

‘Cut off My Head’ is funny and dark, in a way that only Midwest emo music can be.

Next, the drum beat transitions into a sort of boom-cack-cack feel, prepping us for a saxophone and cowbell break… This leads into ‘She Doesn’t Want Me’ which is very much a reprise of track 2. The guitars are more ethereal now, and the saxophone hangs on as the broad strokes of percussion prepare us for the new vibe.

“Her drink’s half empty- the only way she ever sees me”

Everyone who’s ever experienced unrequited love will want to laugh and cry to track 3 – Someone who you care for deeply just uses you just for their “dirty work.”

‘Cut Off My Head’ leads seamlessly into the closing song ‘When I’m Feeling Ur Touch,’ which is much more spacious and slow-paced. Reverb-ed guitars, a melodic bassline, and a commentary-like synth simmer together to make a ‘Red Beet Soup.’ Then we transition; a jazz-blues time warp.

We’re now in a cafe, it’s a bit rough around the edges…Like a casino in Reno, there are no windows, we’re a little bit drunk, and we’re not exactly sure what time it is…

Then it ends, just like that.

Mick Francis’ ‘EPO’ is a multifaceted release; a color-shift, the of a dragonfly. Look at it one way, and it’s a relatable tragedy. Peer into it from another angle, and it becomes a love song to yourself, forgiveness…Twist it around again and it’s now a sonic comedy.

With EPO one thing is for certain- It’s real.

What does EPO mean/stand for?

Mick Francis: Simple. I plan to put these songs on my debut LP (which would be LP1) when I have the rest of them finished and mixed. I want to continue writing bass heavy music and have it pressed to vinyl.

What gives rise to such relatable, playful sonic ideas like ‘Cut Off My Head?’

If you mean the lyrics specifically; I wanted to make a “zinger.” The line about cutting off my head and rolling it down a hill for coyotes to slurp my brains out is more on brand for me than writing a typical “feel pity for me” emo song. I have a morbid sense of humor. It’s just something that I found amusing.

The bass playing was intended to be a rip off of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer. I want to be THE FRETLESS bass player of the 2020’s. Fretless bass isn’t recorded much in the quantized age and I feel like it’s my role to bring it back. Not that it ever wasn’t for nerds though…

Who played the saxophone in track 2?

My good friend Chris Oberst! I hummed him my basic idea of the part and he laid it down sexy.

Does this EP follow a theme throughout? If so, what is the story or subject?

Lyrically it does not follow a theme but stylistically it follows a few:

It’s 1984 and I’m an eccentric new wave singer who uses the bass guitar like a magical weapon. David Bowie and Prince are my best friends.
I only made this music for me. I hope you enjoy it but I am not doing it to appease anybody. It’s a reflective look inside my soul. It’s just be letting loose.

What was the first instrument you ever played, and why did you choose it?

I always wanted to be a bass player like my dad. He was a Victor Wooten level player in the 90’s so I’d see him slapping as a little kid and thought I should do the same.

I started playing bass when I was 12 or 13 but I actually had a relationship with keys and guitar first. This was just because I was still physically growing and couldn’t reach all the frets and the tuning keys on bass.

My dad taught me some major scales and basic stuff on keys/guitar. Mostly note values. I didn’t value most of that stuff until I was in my late 20’s. I’m still understanding theory more and more each day at 32. Theory gets my rocks off but as an ADHD person it has to be the right time and place for me to want to study it. When I was a kid I just wanted to rip. Now I’m reverse engineering my own abilities.

What was it like collaborating with &E, and Noah Minarik on your other release?

You mean Girlfriend! I love that song.

Those are some of my best friends. We have a group message and they made this synth pop idea called “Edward Snowedin” during a snow storm in 2022. They kept sending different updates back and forth and I wasn’t replying cause I was hungover. Finally when I did reply I had that vocal part and they thought it fit so we had it mixed and released it! It’s so funny to me because that’s actually the only song I’ve ever been a part of where I contributed nothing but lead vocals.

&E is a way better singer than me so it almost seems crazy that he just didn’t sing it, but I have a knack for making vocal parts on the spot. Honestly I just make shit up on the fly and commit. There’s not time to hyper fixate and over work parts. The first idea is always the best. I hear shit in my head and roll with it. It flows through me.

I love those guys. We should make more music. Inspiration hit on that song and we just rolled with it because there was only one goal and that was to have fun.

What inspires you? (Art, artists, movies). The ending of the last song feels like we’re in a time-warp or a new space- What does the last tune of your EP represent?

Movie directors that inspire me are Vincent Gallo, David Lynch, and Quinten Tarantino. I also am a huge Star Wars nerd but I’m not sure that it inspires my music.

My favorite visual artist is Leonardo da Vinci. I don’t know that visual art and movies inspire my music, but I’m sure I’m a subconscious level they do. Im very inspired by all types of music even if it sounds nothing like the music I make. I listen to a lot of indie rock, jazz, and even thrash metal lately. I also am a huge punk rock fan and believe in beyond the music aspect. I love the cultural influence of punk rock and I love the militant approach to Johnny Ramones right hand. Every artist should really dive into Ramones songs.

The last song is a two parter. The first half When I’m Feeling Your Touch was recorded in 2021. I had just gotten a fretless bass from my dad. A Yamaha BB series with Alembic pickups.

I had a Linn drum emulator on my old Mac and made the drum groove then jammed over it on the bass. Noah Minarik came over to my old studio I was renting and layed down the electric sitar. The second half Red Beet Soup was recorded in 2024. It consisted of playing an old 70’s Japanese made drum kit with brushes and the same fretless bass from the first half, however I changed the pickups to passive Seymour Duncan’s by this point. I ripped the shit out of that bass. Like I said before I don’t think too much about what I am doing. I just let the music flow through me. I can hear my love of Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius in some of the more technical parts. Those are sounds I have loved since I was 13. The energy has been marinating in my soul and just makes sense to me. I was also listening to a lot of this modern bassist named Mohini Dey at the time. She really inspires my sense of melody when soloing on bass.

After tracking I ran the bass through a stereo panning effect in my 80’s Yamaha effects unit. Then I added some volume knob swells on my Strat like Alex Lifeson does in the mid section of the Rush tune La Villa Strangiato. I’ve always loved volume knob swells. I have a vivid memory of my dad explaining to me how that worked. Jeff Beck and John Frusciante use that technique a lot also and those are some of my favorite guitarist. It’s a go to trick for me when playing lead guitar.

I keep stressing to people that the theme of this music was to just surrender and make whatever I wanted. I believe this song is the biggest example of that theory. I grew up listening to tons of music that sounds like the closing track of my EP and it really is a home base style for me. I feel comfortable making music that sounds like that. It’s just what I sound like. I hope you enjoyed tripping out to it!

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