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Jul 16, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Sara Laufer

New York lo-fi singer/songwriter JW Francis is back this fall with his sophomore full-length record WANDERKIND. Francis has quickly followed his 2020 debut record, We Share A Similar Joy, with another effort, recorded over the 2020 lockdown and reflecting on the thoroughly human desire for escape. Fittingly the record will be released while Francis is indulging in his own wanderlust, hiking the Appalachian Trail. Francis announced the album this spring with its first single, “John, Take Me With You,” and he’s now back with a second single “Holy Mountain,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

“Holy Mountain” takes an especially upbeat approach, drawing you in with jangly syncopated guitars, groovy basslines, and Francis’ low-key slacker vocals. If the record is the story of life lived inside looking outward, “Holy Mountain” dreams of the moment of release, when you finally live life to its fullest. It’s a song written in quarantine but perfectly suited for the current moment, celebrating life’s joys still to come. Francis addresses an unknown lover, dreaming of the life they’ll share—”We would/Be sweet even when we’re old/I would/Treat you like I treat my best friend.”

Francis says of the track, “‘Holy Mountain’ is a song about going out and doing whatever you want to do right now. It’s addressed to a lover you haven’t met yet. The video was shot in Oklahoma featuring a bunch of my family there. I wanted it to be a time capsule of my time in Oklahoma right before coming out to do the Appalachian Trail.”

“Holy Mountain” releases early next week, but you can catch an early listen below. You can also pre-order WANDERKID here, due out October 1st via Sunday Best Recordings.