Actor, visionary, and Internet goofball James Franco has a band. It’s called Daddy, and the New York City-based collective released a single, “Gentle But You Weren’t,” this week.
It’s definitely a Franco project—tastefully conceived, built cool, but with all the philosophical profundity of a politically minded Facebook share.
Rounding out the duo is film composer and producer Tim O’Keefe, who handles singing duties. As Flavorwire noted, the band’s obvious affection for dreary British rockers the Smiths isn’t just homage—Smiths bassist Andy Rourke collaborated with the band recently.
Here soft synths christen the seven-minute track, and then it’s appealing but milquetoast modern indie rock—as if engineered to net a Best New Track kiss from blogs like Pitchfork. Franco and O’Keefe compile a stuffed goodie bag of tropes: dreamy, layered, and whispered vocals; melancholy chords for rainy walks; even a post-Maroon 5, dance-ready guitar lick wiggling tempos forward.
What do we learn here? For one, I bet these guys have perfectly decorated lofts.
The band’s album, Let Me Get What I Want, is slated for a March 18 release—just in time for South By Southwest, where Sausage Party, an animated film he’s starring in, is scheduled to be screened. Don’t be surprised if the band makes a special appearance at the festival.
H/T Flavorwire | Photo via Ashlea Stark/Flickr (CC by 2.0) | Remix by Max Fleishman
