Those who caught the October/Halloween edition of Philthy Radio (now streaming via Y-Not Radio) heard “Damned” off of Run, Run Pure Beauty, the sophomore LP from Francis of Delirium, which NPR Music’s All Songs Considered calls, “Big, fuzzy, chunky, riffy indie rock,” and which prompted NME to write, “Capturing a similar melancholy sparkle to indie favourites such as Japanese Breakfast and Snail Mail, its 11 tracks encapsulate both bittersweet, desperate yearning and a breathless new romance.” Francis of Delirium is the project of Luxembourg-based musician Jana Bahrich, who has been releasing music via Dalliance Recordings since 2020 debut EP All Change, with debut full-length Lighthouse hitting shelves in 2024.
Following a late May/early June solo run of UK and Ireland in-stores, and a monthlong early fall jaunt through Europe and the UK with the full band, last week Francis of Delirium kicked off the North American headlining tour behind her second full-length, which will have her returning to Johnny Brenda’s on November 19th. Earlier this week I got to chat with Jana Bahrich, who tells me about Run, Run Pure Beauty, some of the best shows she’s ever played, and how she’s actually a longtime fan of the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, even outside of being a touring musician.
Izzy Cihak: You’ve played Philadelphia a few times now. I know you opened for The Districts at Union Transfer in 2022 and you headlined Johnny Brenda’s a little more than two years ago. Do you have any thoughts or memories of the city?
Jana Bahrich: After we played our show at Union Transfer I just remember there being a lot of cake involved. It was the final show of that tour and there was just cake and icing being thrown into everybody’s faces. We also stopped for Philly Cheesesteaks. I have visited Philadelphia on my own before as well. I had to stop at the Barnes Foundation, they have one of the largest collections of Chaim Soutine art, one of my favourite painters.
Izzy: Earlier this year you released Run, Run Pure Beauty, your sophomore LP. How do you feel like the album compares to Lighthouse? They were only about two years apart, but I know you went through quite a bit in that time with your neck surgery.
Jana: Both albums were similar in that we started from a completely blank canvas. I know for a lot of people’s debut albums they have songs banked over the years and just compile them, but we had released so many EPs before Lighthouse, so our debut album was a fully fresh start. In terms of recording, I recorded a lot more of Run, Run Pure Beauty just in my bedroom. I would jam with Chris and rather than stay and work at his space I would work on songs at home. I have a lot of different instruments in my room, so working on songs at home gave me the time to experiment and mess around with sounds. That’s how the more orchestral elements of the album came into play. I had a French horn and violin sitting in my room collecting dust and started messing around with those.
Izzy: The album was co-produced by Chris Hewett, who I know is your longtime collaborator. How would you characterize your process of working together, if there tends to be a specific “process?”
Jana: We often jam songs out. So, he’ll be on the drums and I’ll be in a little vocal booth with guitar and we just play until there’s an idea that is interesting to us both. Then I’ll normally take the bones of the song home and start experimenting with production and we just sort of send versions back and forth on text. At that point in the process, we bring in Denis who plays drums live and he will play Chris’ drum parts. We take it to a studio and reamp guitars, record drums, run guitars through different pedals. So, there is generally a process. A song like “It’s a Beautiful Life” I did the jamming part alone in Berlin and then we just texted versions back and forth.
Izzy: Just following the album’s release, you played a number of in-stores, which I’ve recently had a lot of artists tell me they find to be especially enjoyable and meaningful in terms of presenting the new music to fans in an exceptionally intimate setting. How did those events go, whether the performances themselves or just interactions with fans?
Jana: The in-stores felt really special because you could really feel how important these stores were to the local communities. I played a handful of stores that were pretty far outside of major cities, and it was beautiful to visit shops where everybody knows each other and trusts the store owner to give them great recommendations.
Just personally, it was somewhat disorienting to play these shows just because I’ve gotten really used to playing with Jeff and Denis on stage and being able to bounce off of them. It felt very vulnerable to play alone in these intimate spaces. The risk of that though is what made it feel easier to connect in a direct way to the audience.
Izzy: I played “Damned” on the October/Halloween edition of Philthy Radio, for which I try to keep a “spooky” theme, so I’m curious how that song originally came about? I know you’ve frequently been closing sets with the track.
Jana: “Damned” used to be ridiculously long. It was our late bloomer song. The song really only came into focus right before we finished it. We trimmed back some of the verses and changed the drum beat and even the lead guitar just a few days before recording the drums.
Izzy: Some artists hate questions like this, but I think it’s a fun way to get a sense of an artist’s musical influences or interests… Considering that this is your sophomore album, I’m curious if you have any favorite sophomore LPs of music history?
Jana: An album that was a touchstone for Run, Run Pure Beauty and also a sophomore album I just love is Hats by The Blue Nile. The mood of that album is so potent. Just a perfect album.
Izzy: You’ve been with Dalliance Recordings since you’ve been releasing music (at least to my knowledge), which I have to admit I don’t know a ton about, although I do love Phoebe Go and got to know her ahead of her tour with Briston Maroney. How would you characterize the label team and how have you liked working with them all this time?
Jana: It’s a really small team, just Matt and Rich, and I’ve been working with them since our first EP. So, since 2020. We met right after “Quit Fucking Around” came out, I had opened for one of their artists, Common Holly (who rocks), and then they got in touch. I love how there aren’t too many cooks in the kitchen. Everyone just cares about music.
Izzy: You just kicked off almost a month of North American dates that will have you returning to Johnny Brenda’s, but you’ve already played a lot of dates throughout Europe and the UK this year, including those in-stores. What have been some of the highlights or standout moments so far?
Jana: These shows have been the shows we have been hoping to play for years. Feels like the audience is really with us. We have always tried to be really dynamic as a band and push the energy amongst ourselves and also within the audience. On this tour we are finally getting that energy to be one cohesive ball. I also love when people go up on other people’s shoulders. Happened in Copenhagen the first time and just recently in San Francisco. People on shoulders will always stand out in my memory.
Izzy: What can be expected of the live show, in terms of setlist, production, and lineup? Will you be playing as your usual trio?
Jana: We are our usual trio. We try to keep it exciting for ourselves and switch things up when we can. It does feel like we have a setlist sweet spot though and an arc that feels really good. We are too small to have production. The production is our playing and our clothes. The biggest production moment we had and will probably have on the tour was our Halloween show. I had the Toy Story alien head on for our first song.
Izzy: I see you have a Francis of Delirium & Friends hometown show this December, in addition to an April show in the UK but, in addition to those dates, how are you hoping and planning to spend the end of 2026 and the first part of 2027? Is there anything you’re especially excited about that you can talk about yet?
Jana: I think the rest of the band is excited for some chill time. We have had time off but nothing very extended. Jeff just moved to Finland so he will be spending his time making sure his place is ready for winter. I’m sure 2027 will be very exciting, but don’t really know what is in store for us. A lot of writing I hope.
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