Frances Cone – “Arizona” (Stereogum Premiere)
After over 10 years of work on one song, Brooklyn-based indie-pop band Frances Cone are ready to release “Arizona,” the sincere, artfully crafted single off their upcoming album Late Riser. The song was mixed by Dan Molad of Lucius and mastered by Dave Cooley, who has worked with Animal Collective and Local Natives. “Arizona” tells the story of lead singer Christina Cone’s brother, the filmmaker Stephen Cone, and his experience growing up with a Southern Baptist preacher as a father. She shared a statement about the track:
“Arizona” is a song that’s been swirling around and building up in my brain for the past 10 years or so. In my late teens, I spent a week in the southwest with my brother and as a person initially very comfortable/secure with our Southern Baptist upbringing, my belief structure suddenly got pretty rattled for a variety of reasons, including meeting his first boyfriend. All the mountains of ideology I’d pretty blindly built up over the years were suddenly paper thin and almost everything changed. That time was so important to me and my brother is so important to me — it all became the groundwork of who I am, and is Arizona in song form.
“Arizona” is carried by Cone’s melodic vocals, rich harmonies, and an electrifying guitar sound. As the song builds up to the repetition of “I’m so sorry you couldn’t speak,” it is impossible to ignore the genuine emotion in Cone’s voice. Listen below.
“Arizona” is available now at iTunes. Late Riser is expected out this spring.