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Swimmers

by Miles Francis

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1.
All the things That I want to do with me Hold me back from doing the Things I want to do You're so lucky You've got everything that I need In this world to succeed And there's nothing I can do The look, the style, the understated smile The lack of care for everybody there The talent, the force, the acrobatic voice Everybody 'round you knows it, cuz it's true You're a star You can make it through You're a star And it's time to rise up It's a trap And there is no turning back Your face opens a door that Sets my demons loose The look, the style, the understated smile The lack of care for everybody there The talent, the force, the acrobatic voice Everybody 'round you knows it, and they're talking You're a star You can make it through You're a star It's time to rise up All you got to do is play it cool Don't hesitate to play it up You're a star You can make it through Careful to never miss a step Too much is riding on your rise This is the life that you have chosen Everybody 'round you knows it, so live it up You're a star! You have made it through! You're a star! It's time to rise up!
2.
Complex 03:55 video
Who do you talk to Who do you see What do you do when I'm not around? Cuz I'm busy and I'm strong And nothing's gonna slow me down Who would you talk to Who would you see What would you do if I let you down? Cuz I'm busy and I'm strong And nothing's gonna stop me now Have you found my complex Buried underneath the brush Take care, I may have said too much Have you found my weakest reflex Bound up in sensitivity Hold me, promise that you'll never leave I don't know what you're talking about (complex) It was late, I was half asleep (complex) We were drinking, got carried away (complex) OK, you're right, what's next? Do you need more, do you really need more? Isn't all this time enough for you? Cuz I'm busy and I'm strong And nothing's gonna change for you Have you found my complex Buried underneath the brush? Take care, I may have said too much Have you found my weakest reflex Bound up in sensitivity? Hold me, promise that you'll never leave
3.
The deeper we dig here The closer we come to finding a body And I don't want you to see that To put it simply Let me preface this: it's all about me (With men it often is) But I feel very strongly that I am made of toxic stuff And yet On and on and on It's so easy to give in On and on and on Throw caution to the wind But here lies the truth: I do not deserve your love You're falling for me now It's heavy, it's sacred The way you look at me now And I fear there's no going back It's so easy to give in Let my conscience feel the sin 'Cause it is very simple: I do not deserve your love I do not deserve your love It's time that you turn me down and send me off Let me go I do not deserve your love
4.
Take It 04:30 video
I don’t feel so smart today (a fool in fact) I don’t know where I lost control Nobody bothered to wake me I slept too late But I know I can - I always do I can take it - I’ll figure it out so soon Just give me one more night under this moon Tomorrow I’ll take it on I don’t feel so cool today (yeah I lost track) I lost track of your love Will I ever get it back I’m a fool in fact I’ll find a way to grow a little stronger I’ll find a way to carry my own weight Can’t run away from me much longer, no I’ll find a way to carry my mistakes But I know I can - I always do I can take it - I’ll figure it out so soon Just give me one more night under this moon Tomorrow I’ll take it on I’ll find a way to grow a little stronger I’ll find a way to carry my own weight Can’t run away from me much longer, no I’ll find a way to carry my mistakes I’ll take it all on I'll take it all I'll take it
5.
Softly, slowly Stand me still I cannot divide my heart from my brain You caught me lonely Broke my will I'm struggling to veer from how I've been trained I want to know what this is Define me Define where I'm supposed to draw the line I am not satisfied with kisses So teach me How to love and let go at the same time Don't talk about it Don't talk anymore I can't help myself under the overthink Don't tip the balance Don't think anymore Lift me from the filth as i sink beneath

about

Swimmers may be Miles Francis’s debut, but it’s clear there’s something in the water. Miles Francis is not your typical debut artist, and Swimmers is not your typical debut.

Swimmers arrives both as a 5-song EP and a 25-minute companion short film. Replete with meticulous and supremely catchy songs, paired with stunningly serene visual imagery, Swimmers is clear proof that Miles knows what he’s doing. In the songs, nothing is looped and there’s no computer magic filling in missing lines. Swimmers is pop music with an edge. In “Take It,” for example, a bouncing syncopated synth bass powers through lyrics about false hope. Swimmers is introspective, but it’s not sad: “Complex” sets a graceful, melancholy chorus over an off-kilter static-laden beat. It’s indie rock with an R&B vocabulary, like in “You’re a Star,” which juxtaposes a dancey drum pattern with a grungy bass line and hushed vocals.

Miles collaborated with filmmaker Charles Billot to create an eerily abstract yet intensely real visual world for the songs to live in. Swimmers [film] is an honest exhibition of the emotions found in the music, while leaving the door open for the viewers’ own interpretations - like water, Swimmers takes the shape of its holder.

Miles has learned from the best, and it shows. Since he started playing – first the drums at 6, then guitar, bass, keyboards, other percussion, anything he could get his hands on – he’s been an eager and diligent student. He spent countless hours in his childhood basement dissecting Prince’s guitar parts, learning David Byrne’s vocal phrasing, recreating Dilla beats, meditating on Fela Kuti basslines, and studying Bowie’s chord progressions. As a working musician, Miles has collaborated and performed with The Roots, tUnEyArDs, Sharon Jones, Amber Mark, Angelique Kidjo, Action Bronson, Allen Toussaint, Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) and many others; toured the world with Will Butler (Arcade Fire), Antibalas and EMEFE; and appeared on shows like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with David Letterman. All before the age of 26, too.

But Swimmers is also honest and genuine, the capturing of a particular period in a young person’s life. The EP was written in the back of a tour van and various hotel rooms and recorded by Miles alone in his basement studio. “These five songs captured a raw time for me, when life seemed to be coming to a head. I made an effort not to touch or edit them too much once I had recorded them. I wanted to keep that intimacy in there,” he says. You hear this particularly in the quiet but cathartic “Overthink”, the song that convinced Miles that Swimmers should leave the basement and live in the world. “‘Overthink’ is about telling yourself to relax, adapt to change, and not worry so much that it ruins the moment,” he explains.

Swimmers has plenty of hooks, but sometimes they’re in unexpected places. It’s smart, but not cocky. It’s confident but not brash. It pushes against the edge, but it doesn’t puncture. These are songs from someone who knows what he wants to say, how to say it, and perhaps most importantly, how to keep you listening. And you’ll definitely want to keep listening.

credits

released February 2, 2018

Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Miles Francis
Mixed by Julian Fader at Gravesend Recordings, Brooklyn
Mastered by Alex DeTurk at Strange Weather Studios, Brooklyn
Recorded in the Cornelia Street Basement, Manhattan

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Miles Francis New York, New York

Miles Francis is an artist, producer, drummer, songwriter, singer, musician, guitarist, mogul, tastemaker, performer, pop darling, influencer, actor, instrumentalist and multi-hyphenate born and raised in New York City. Miles has collaborated with Will Butler, Antibalas, Sharon Jones, Amber Mark, and Angelique Kidjo amongst others, and will release their debut album 'Good Man' on March 4, 2022. ... more

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