Francis Lung announces new album with lead cut "Bad Hair Day"

"Bad Hair Day" is the first new outing from Lung since he released his 2020 EP Songs From a Living Room, and also lands as the first taster of his upcoming album Miracle.

Lung writes of the song in the YouTube description, "It feels significant to be sharing this song about hangovers now that i'm nearly two months sober. It's the longest i've been without, and for someone who spent the past decade touring and working in hospitality jobs where alcohol is your reward, your commiseration and often your fuel, it leaves a big hole when it's gone. Though there is a sense of loss, what i've gained is perspective - i never again want to be in the state i was when i wrote this song. I worked 50 hour weeks in a bar, and i drank every night. It felt monumental to get to the end of a 12-hour shift and the booze made it seem euphoric. The mornings however, were anything but. I'd wake up super early from low blood sugar but i was too sick to eat. I'd have slept really badly, jumped in the shower and gone back to work without breakfast. Some mornings i'd even have a little beer to get me through. By the evening, you've worked hard enough to deserve a pint - and so the cycle repeats."

He adds, "Outwardly, i functioned pretty well but internally every day was a "Bad Hair Day", and even my good days were tainted. It's no fun to be constantly recovering. I'm learning how good it feels to be 100% every day. If you're struggling, please know that you're not alone, there's a way out and it's worth it."

Miracle will follow Lung's 2019 debut solo album A Dream Is U, and was recorded at Wales' Giant Wafer studios in early 2020 with Brendan Williams (Dutch Uncles, Matthew Halsall, Kiran Leonard) and Robin Koob, who co-arranged and performed strings.

He says of the album, "For me, [Miracle] is about the struggle between my self-destructive side and my problem-solving, constructive side. I suppose through a lot of these songs I’m dealing with these emotional problems, acknowledging the negative aspects of my behaviour instead of burying them, and providing an alternative point of view for myself."

Lung adds, "I don’t want to be defined by my anxiety, my depression or any history of substance abuse, but I do want to reach out to other people who have had similar experiences, especially if it’s in a way that helps them feel a little better. To me, this music is celebrating healing as much as it focuses on the darker sides of the human psyche."

Earlier this month Lung helped co-organise a charity compilation album of Elliott Smith covers by the likes of Christian Lee Hutson, Marissa Nadler, Blaenavon, Kevin Devine and more.

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Bad Hair Day
3. Blondes Have More Fun
4. Miracle
5. Empty Playgrounds, Broken Swings (Demo)
6. Don't Call Me Baby
7. Say So
8. Southern Skies
9. Want 2 Want U
10. Comedown (Again)
11. Uncommon
12. Lonesome No More
13. The Let Down