By DONNA BALANCIA
French Vanilla is one of the hottest bands on the scene and the respected punkers have come a long way since we last caught them more than a year ago at The Smell in downtown LA.
The band releases their second full-lengther How Am I Not Myself? on June 7.
The driving sax work of Daniel and aggressive vocals of frontwoman, Sally Spitz, make this band more than memorable. Lovable, warm and fuzzy they are not. But they sound good and impress with their stark and pointed songs.
Read ‘Review: French Vanilla Tasty But Not Sweet’
The first release off the album was “All The Time,” which tackles Sally’s crush/relationship with a woman and the video delivers the message a la 1980s B52’s style.
French Vanilla front woman Sally revs up the crowd at The Smell 20th Anniversary – Photo © 2018 Donna Balancia“All The Time” is a far different production from “Suddenly,” the video that takes the viewer back to ancient times, with Sally portraying a pissed off jester who’s had just about enough.
The video for “Suddenly” starts out innocently and weirdly enough with a bunch of ancients sitting around giving condescending thumbs up and down to entertainer plebs.
But the deeper meaning of the song centers on how people go out at night to have fun, desperately try to impress and make new connections, wind up being even more isolated.
“Alongside this is the fear of our own behavior being misinterpreted,” the band said in a release. “This song expresses the notion that going out in itself can feel like a performance, accompanied by the feeling of emptiness after it’s over.”
On June 7, French Vanilla has its album release show at Zebulon.
French Vanilla – Suddenly
French Vanilla – All the Time
French Vanilla at The Smell
FRENCH VANILLA TOUR DATES
Fri. June 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon (Album Release Show)
Fri. July 5 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
Sat. July 6 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Mon. July 8 – Toronto, ON @ Monarch *
Tue. July 9 – Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo *
Wed. July 10 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
Fri. July 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
Sat. July 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA *
Mon. July 15 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong *
Tue. July 16 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
Wed. July 17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
Fri. July 19 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
Sat. July 20 – Houston, TX @ The Satellite *
Sun. July 21 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk *
Mon. July 22 – Dallas, TX @ Regal Room *
Thu. July 25 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
Fri. July 26 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar *
Sat. July 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theatre *
Sun. July 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord *
Tue. July 30 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
Wed. July 31 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
Thu. Aug. 1 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret *
Fri. Aug. 2 – Spokane, WA @ Lucky You Lounge *
Sat. Aug. 3 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux *
Mon. Aug. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
Tue. Aug. 6 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Wed. Aug. 7 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb *
Fri. Aug. 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
Sat. Aug. 10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo Coffee *
* w/ Stef Chura
PRE-ORDER HOW AM I NOT MYSELF?
HOW AM I NOT MYSELF? TRACKLIST
1.Real or Not
2. Lost Power
3. All The Time
4. Friendly Fire
5. Protective
6. Suddenly
7. Joan of Marc by Marc
8. Bromosapien
9. Move Along, Move Ahead
10. Sensitive (Not Too Sensitive)