Manchester-based hazy dreamers, Marie Franc have released their latest single ‘Wildfires’, a poignant track which battles with the impermanence of life. Carried along by a twinkling and oscillating guitar, ‘Wildfires’ is the fourth single released this year from a band on the rise. Whilst building on the reverb-laden sound, which has drawn in an ever-growing fanbase, this new tune expands Marie Franc’s horizons to lay bare their souls in service of their sound.
There’s a patience to this latest single, slowly establishing lead singer Rachel Ferguson's innermost feelings – which are reassured by airy yet haunting harmonies. ‘Wildfires’ is the result of experiencing a life which looks out towards a daunting expanse, encapsulated by the airy sound the band have created. Amongst the sonic landscape of unease, Marie Franc’s lyricism cuts to the core of the human experience – “you win, you lose some and then it’s done”. The single captures the ephemeral nature of our lives in a poignantly nostalgic way, carried forward by a delightful melody but stopping to look back at what has already passed.
For the five-piece band, only cobbled together within the last few years, the track comes off the back of a successful summer which has seen Marie Franc take their live work on tour across the UK, sharing stages with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including the main stage at Truck Festival and supporting Ruby Fields. This tune is in part a testament to Marie Franc’s development as a band; it’s a tireless pursuit of finding meaning in love and life. Earlier tracks such as ‘Loungewear’ and ‘Dirty Hands’ are stories whispered in a smoke-filled, dimly lit backroom – but as Marie Franc continue to blossom, their sound searches for new meaning.
This is where the track brings a unique charm; it bounces between the joy and ecstasy we can feel, all observed through the agonising lens of nostalgia which embeds itself over time. In the band’s own words, “we’re lucky to know the pain of tenderness” – and this track so delicately balances the bittersweet of times gone by. Laced with an endearing honesty and a succinct delivery of what it means to let life pass by, Marie Franc’s ‘Wildfires’ will stand the test of time as one tune their fans won’t let come and go.
Joseph Madden
Image: ‘Wildfires’ Official Single Cover