Storefront Church - Woah Yeah
When a press release opens with the information that Florence Welch told Ethel Cain she got goosebumps from this artist’s music, you immediately drop everything and go check out what exactly landed in your inbox. That’s how I ended up listening to the new EP from Storefront Church.
This is already the project’s fourth EP, on top of two full-length albums, with the latest one, Ink & Oil, receiving very strong reviews. Storefront Church is the project of Lucas Frank, the son of director Scott Frank, who most people know from the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit. And honestly, his background speaks for itself. He toured with Portugal. The Man as a teenager, played alongside Perfume Genius, and actively collaborated with his childhood friend Phoebe Bridgers.
In his solo work, Lucas Frank has always leaned into a very rich blend of baroque pop and art rock, creating this expensive-sounding, layered atmosphere that at times slightly recalls Father John Misty. But on the new EP Woah Yeah, the focus shifts a bit more toward electronic textures and much more intimate vibes.
The EP only contains four tracks, one of which is a cover of “Chains of Love” by Charli XCX made for the recently released film Wuthering Heights. The other three songs beautifully and very cinematically tell stories of different confessions and personal moments of reflection. What frames all of this is an incredibly polished and genuinely great production that is interesting not only while the songs are playing, but also when you start noticing all the tiny details, textures, and little production tricks hidden inside the arrangements.
Personally, the highlight for me was “Otis” because of its almost post-apocalyptic vibe mixed with this very ethereal sound that pulls you into your own thoughts and daydreams. It’s bold music, expensive music, if you can even describe sound that way. There’s something very darkwave about this EP, but it’s the kind of darkwave you completely enjoy getting lost in.
7.5/10
