Dillon Francis

Dillon Francis has just released his debut album Money Sucks, Friends Rule, and to celebrate he is coming back down under to party it up with us at Beyond the Valley festival over New Years. “I feel absolutely fantastic, because I have been waiting so long for this moment. We recently put up the Spotify stream for Australia and did the stream with MTV a few weeks ago and the reaction that I have been getting to the album has just been phenomenal,” Francis said.
For any musician, releasing a first album can always be a bit of a scary experience and a bit of a gamble – after all it is the result of years of hard work. Francis’ fans were a little sceptical about the release as they thought he was headed in a different direction musically. However as Francis explains, nothing much has changed: “The concept right from the get go was to make a record that you could put in your car and cruise the streets and listen to. I didn’t want it to get annoying to listen to. I still have tonnes of different genres and I think that would be good for people. I’ve heard albums that sound exactly the same over and over again and it makes you feel like you are listening to the same song on repeat.”
From listening to the album you might get the feeling that Francis has always been a fan of big beats and bangers, however as I was quick to find out, he is an indie rock kid at heart. “My parents got me into pop music and that was great. It wasn’t a force-fed thing because I couldn’t listen to anything else. From there, through friends at school, I got into punk, metal and emo bands. Having a sheltered musical upbringing led to me having a diverse musical palette and an impact on the music I make,” he says.
One of Francis’ favourite groups was Panic! at the Disco and so to get Brendan Urie, front man for the band, to sing on one of the tracks was a surreal experience. “I listened to Panic so much when I was at high school, so to have Brendan sing on ‘Love In The Middle of The Firefight’ was amazing. It’s my favourite song on the album and I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve made in my entire musical career. What I wanted to accomplish in that song, was everything that you hear on the album. He was such a cool guy to work with too, which is always a bonus,” Francis says.
Although there’s a bunch of tour parties and world travelling to do before Francis lands here for New Year, he can’t wait to get back to his adopted second home. “Everything about Australia is fucking amazing! Because it makes me feel like I’m at home, even though I’ve just travelled so fucking far to be there. I’m from LA, so there’s beautiful weather, beautiful people, and everyone wants to have fun. The festivals put off a great vibe and Australian music man, is awesome. I grew up on a diet of Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts and The Presets. ‘This Boy’s in Love’ is one of my favourite tracks ever. Come party with me for New Years, you won’t regret it,” he says.
When&Where: Beyond the Valley, Phillip Island – December 30 – January 1
By Tex Miller, Photo by Shane McCauley