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Aug 10, 2022 By Caleb Campbell

For over a decade now, Fran Lyons has split his time between drumming for a number of Philly indie rock outfits, including Free Cake for Every Creature, 22º Halo, and 2nd Grade, and writing for his own solo project, Ylayli. Lyons has written over a dozen records over the years, many of which only have seen the light of day on home cassettes and forgotten websites, but in recent years he’s entered into a new creative period with the project.

This period began with his 2019 record Caterpillar Graveyard and continued last year with a pair of albums, Shadow on the Grass and Magic Eye. Early next month, Lyons is set to continue his streak with his Dear Life Records debut LP, Separation. He first teased the record earlier this year with its lead single, “Circle Change,” and today he has shared the album’s second single, “He Needs Me,” premiering with Under the Radar.

In contrast to the frayed synth-laden edges of “Circle Change,” “He Needs Me” is an understated and pastoral effort, tinged with gentle strings, chiming guitar lines, and quiet contemplation. Lyons conjures visions of expansive vistas and sun-lit beauty, taking equal influence from slowcore and indie rock touchstones like Yo La Tengo. Running beneath the winding layers of guitar, strings, and percussion, Lyons’ vocals emerge as a guide through the midsummer haze, slowly unfurling the track’s indelible reflective core.

The track reveals itself slowly as if emerging from a dream; fittingly, the record itself was equally inspired by dreams. Lyons explains of its inspirations, “I confided in my therapist-cum-Sliding Scale Spiritual Adviser and Dream Analyst. I sat on the floor in the back of my minivan and told him that I had nothing. True to form, he offered that my dreams were a gift. He’d often breathe a befuddled ‘wow’ when I finished reading my latest 4 pager. This suggestion, and therapeutic flattery, helped prop up a new path forward.

Separation is almost entirely a ‘dialogue’ between me and a character from a dream. He’s a man of idioms and advice and insecurity. He’s an empty wig and lifeless outfit on my studio floor. He Needs Me, to me, is the theme of our ‘relationship’. The Popeye soundtrack classic sung by Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl had been floating around in my head for years.”

Check out the song below. Separation is coming September 2nd via Dear Life Records.