FRENSHIP – How A Man Dies

By starrymag | March 4, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) It’s somewhere in the greater realm of pop. It’s usually thoughtful, some combo of happy and sad. Hopefully it’s fun and deep at the same time, just like us?

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Great songs. Truly though, we love great songs, no matter the genre. We’re big fans of Bon Iver, The 1975 and Coldplay, just to name a few.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “How a Man Dies.” 

 

A) We wrote “How A Man Dies” back in 2020 when we saw the men around us struggling with their mental health. Men traditionally bottle up their emotions and fail to express when they’re in pain, which is an outdated approach we wanted to shine a light on. Last summer this song took on new life as we found ourselves living out each line in the song.

Brett went through an unnecessarily painful breakup which sent him into the darkest place he’s ever been. He wasn’t sleeping or eating, and he lost 30 lbs. – he needed help. Initially he fell into that traditional role, but he broke that cycle and let me in eventually. We didn’t solve any of his problems, but we got him on the road to recovery, simply because he asked for help. This journey has made us prioritize mental health like never before. Hopefully the song encourages people to seek help when they need it.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) The emotion of the song. It has a powerful message about mental health which seems to be resonating with our fans.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The video is filmed to a stripped-down version of the song. The entire video is of us singing to each other, acting out the lyrics in real time. We shared a beautiful experience last summer, when Brett went through a really tough time. This video embodies that journey of suffering together.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) It varies, but typically we start ideas separately and then present them to each other. For Brett lyrics seem to come first and for me (James) they usually come at the same time I create the music.

 

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) We either solely produce or co-produce our music. We have our hands on the song every step of the way.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming soon?

 

A) We think so! For now we’ll be putting out singles every four to six weeks for the rest of the year. Most likely we’ll package it all up at some point.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) We’ve been fortunate enough to play at some beautiful venues, but some memorable ones are Red Rocks Amphitheater, Lollapalooza and The Warfield SF. I (James) grew up a few minutes from Red Rocks so that was pretty special getting to look up at family and friends in that beautiful place.

 

Q) With concerts having been put on hold, what have you missed most about being on stage?

 

A) We miss seeing our fans. Some of them have been with us since we were playing to ten people. Sometimes you forget that people out there care about your music. It’s nice to be reminded that we’re on this journey with them.

 

Q) In the past you’ve collaborated with the likes of the talented Emily Warren. Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) There’s a long list but we’d love to work with Chris Martin, Bon Iver, Yebba and maybe even Weird Al Yankovic.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Currently listening to a lot of Mura Masa’s RYC album, Sam Gellaitry, Jai Wolf and Nikki and the Dove. They’re all just full of emotion and seem to be tapped into who they are, which is always lovely to experience.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Honestly, we aren’t the best at social media. We really crave that in person connection with our fans – it just means so much more to us. That said, it’s great to be able to message our fans and keep in touch when we aren’t touring. We want to be a place our fans can count on and come to when they want to or need to.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) THANK YOU. We’d be nothing without you and you give us life. Every artist says that, but we wouldn’t have a career without you. It’s amazing we get to do this for a living, and we feel lucky we’re in this position.