Learning Franjapan
Franjapan have released their highly-anticipated EP ‘Learning Futures’. The 5 piece has combined indie-rock, & British influences and songwriting that explores the struggles and joys of being young, producing the unique touch of Franjapan on ‘Learning Futures’. We caught up with Franjapan’s Dennis, were we found out about the new album, the history of the band and the special bottle of wine they are waiting to drink after they get a Laneway Festival slot.
Firstly, congratulations on the release of your debut EP, Learning Futures. How is the EP being received so far? What feedback are you getting?
The feedback on the EP has been really great. Hearing people get excited about songs they have been “waiting ages for” that they have heard at gigs the past year and beyond, it means a lot. We take a lot of pride in the live shows and if it gets people excited for those songs to come out then somethings being done right.
For those that haven’t heard your music before, how do you describe the Franjapan sound?
Always a really hard question to answer. But I suppose the elevator pitch for Franjapan is that we are a catchy, fun guitar driven indie rock band. If we want to compare to other acts we’d usually throw out artists like Rolling Blackouts C.F, The Strokes, Kings of Leon, and a lot of indie acts from the early 00’s, late 90’s.
“its the 5 of us coming together to create Franjapan, take any of us away or try add anything to it and its not Franjapan ”
Do you have a favourite track from the ‘Learning Futures’ or one that you are particularly proud of?
Everyone has their own personal favourites that I think are different for all 5 of us, but the most sentimental track to us would have to be Choo-Choo. We had a song called Choo-Choo Train years ago in the early days of Franjapan that we re-visited a while back, absolutely nothing from the original song stayed and its completely different, however that night writing and workshopping the song together was a big turning point in the Franjapan sound, and even how we worked together. It truly felt like it was all 5 of our heads coming together to create something, and that song would never be what it became without all 5 of us. And that is essentially what Franjapan is, its the 5 of us coming together to create Franjapan, take any of us away or try add anything to it and its not Franjapan anymore. It truly does feel like 5 entities coming together to create 1. Choo-Choo embodies that.
The band recorded the Ep at your very own Caveman Studios, which you have established at bandmate Spencer’s home. Did this make things easier, or did you find yourselves over tweaking because you had full time access to the studio?
Definitely makes things easier and convenient. We have tested the process of going out to a different studio for x amount of scheduled days and working that way, and its a great time to just set aside a few days for nothing but recording and working on music, but there is a freedom to working at the home studio that just works for us so much. Caveman is home for all of us, its where we rehearse, its where we write and it makes sense to record there. We can come and go as we please and if inspiration strikes at ungodly hours in the night we have the liberty to go into the studio and capture it.
You worked with music masters Cam Trewin & William Bowden to mix and master ‘Learning Futures’ how did these collaborations come about?
Cam is a family friend of mine (Dennis) actually ! His current partner is longtime friends with my sister. Over the years I was very aware of the work he did and his prowess, always wanting to work with him in some way but it felt a bit out of reach. But i sent him a couple demos and eventually he got back to me and really wanted to work with us. He helped us produce a couple singles last year with another produce Greg O’Shea and we developed a great relationship with the both of them. After we recorded Learning Futures, Spencer did the initial mixing but we decided to Cam involved to push the songs to their absolute best, and we strongly believe he succeeded in doing that for us. William Bowden is a contact that Spencer has also through family, Spencer’s father was a musician for band ‘Bellydance’ and worked with William previously.
Given self-written music can be such a personal thing, do you find it difficult when other people start playing around and changing what you’ve created?
I dont think any of us get to attached to that extent. It is very personal but not being able to take in advice or criticism is just putting up limitations to the music. We are always willing to try any crazy or simple suggestions when messing around with the music.
“we came to a quick agreement on the track list”
Your Bio states you shelved several songs, not making the EP. Was it hard to choose what stayed and what was discarded? Are these tracks that may be re- birthed at a later date or are they gone forever?
We had probably 8 serious contenders for the EP, and a few more over the last 2 years that still haven’t seen the light of day. We wanted the EP to be cohesive and have flow, so that was a big part of the decision making on the songs. It was definitely difficult, we knew that tracks like Stonewall and Lucy were a lock for the EP and to build around them. And the other 3 fell in place nicely around the songs. Not to say some songs that didn’t make the cut wouldn’t have fit on the EP, but we did have some tough choices to make. Luckily there wasn’t too much dispute, and we came to a quick agreement on the track list. as for the songs that didn’t make the cut, there might be room for them on another project or to just put them out. But if previous Franjapan trends are anything to go by, theres a good chance they may never see the light of day, or at least not for a while.
We are already recording the next EP and its a whole new batch of songs, so we do tend to get excited about the newest material as opposed to re-hashing previously cut songs.
Will you be hitting the road to showcase the Ep live for fans?
Currently no plans for an EP tour, but we would love to get out on the road later this year again!
Where was your first gig? Was it a success or flop?
The First Franjapan headline gig in its current form was a single launch we did for our single ‘Come into Your Own’ at the old Ding Dong lounge in Melbourne! a memorable night and we sold a decent amount of tickets but at that stage we were still finding our feet and the majority of the crowd was friends. I think the first gig that felt real was our EP launch at Yah Yah’s for our 1st EP ‘Caveman’. The launch show was April 2018 and it was our biggest crowd we’d played to up to that point, a lot of people we didnt know, and it gave us a whole lot of motivation to kick things further into gear.
“We even purchased Spencer a bottle of wine for his 21st birthday that we said we cannot open until we play at Laneway festival. ”
Is Franjapan looking to join the ever-expanding festival circuit we have in Australia, or will you be sticking to the standard concert format for future live shows?
Absolutely! A massive goal for us right now is to play at some festivals in Australia. We even purchased Spencer a bottle of wine for his 21st birthday that we said we cannot open until we play at Laneway festival. So we have high hopes to jump on some of those festivals. NYE on the Hill, Grapevine, BTV etc.
You have received a lot of support from star-makers Triple J, do you think that attention has made the difference in your almost instant success?
We are always grateful for any support we might get from any media outlets. Triple J definitely have a big effect on what they can do for your growth. We have received attention and great reviews from a lot of presenters, and a few spins for singles. all these achievements were milestones for us but we also know that there is still a ways to go and a further market to tap with the Triple J audience.
“It would be a nice world to live in where Australian radio was dominated by Australian music”
So, given the difference it has made for Franjapan compared to other bands without that support, do you think the 25% minimum quota of Australian music on our radio stations is a fair number given the ever- expanding talent pool we have in this country? Would you like to see that number increased or even a dedicated Aussie station?
We will always be advocates for further support of the Australian Music Scene and the local scene. It would be a nice world to live in where Australian radio was dominated by Australian music, and some stations definitely prioritise it but it would be great to see larger stations have more of a focus on it, but there is lots and lots of amazing music around the world so it would be a shame to not hear that as well.
Franjapan consists of a bunch of mates from High School, so how and when did the decision come to form a band?
We were all pretty involved in the music community at our school and would regularly do performances and events at school together and in different bands with other students. Spencer, Oli and Myself were in year 12 when we all did a school competition and music performance together, and a couple weeks after that I asked the 4 of them to start a band with me. For a long time it was just us having fun, writing some songs and jamming together. But it took a while for us to get to doing proper gigs and really knowing how to do any of it because we were so young
“The spray was probably 6 years expired but just lived there, and inspired the Franjapan name”
You have said the name ‘Learning Futures’ came from a class you all took in year 8 but where did the name ‘Franjapan’ come from?
We actually had a name before Franjapan which was ‘Gemini Talks.’ Spencer was pushing for us to change that name after we were active for just under a year with that name. He pitched a few names to us and then presented ‘Franjapan’. It came from looking at a Frangipani flavoured odour spray in Caveman Studios. The spray was probably 6 years expired but just lived there, and inspired the Franjapan name. We loved the name and just needed to decide on one.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
Spencer O’Leary has been a part of the Franjapan family for the better part of this year, and he has been in charge of all our art related content from posters, to single covers, logos etc. He has taken an incredibly load off us and has such an investment in the project and his praises cant be sung enough.
Where to from here for Franjapan? What's next for you?
We are off on a little holiday to Europe together in July which will be a nice short break! Been a busy year so far. But we are in the middle of recording the next batch of songs, and will be gearing up for more shows and more releases for the second half of the year. More of the same, but bigger.
Interview by Michelle Symes
June 2023