Singer-songwriter Franc Loz bares his soul on his resplendent new debut single, ‘Crossroads’.
Franc Loz has yearned to hit pause on life while he figures things out on ‘Crossroads’, an indie-rock gem that marks the singer-songwriter’s debut single.
The track — the first of five to be released by the 26-year-old — draws inspiration from Loz’s sonic muses like Boygenius and Arcade Fire, kicking off with jangly, sunlit guitars.
While these sunny melodies remain a throughline of the track, Loz adds further texture with twinkling piano keys, ambient riffs, and clashing cymbals, creating the kind of fuzzy rock that would perfectly soundtrack an afternoon bike ride.
It’s in these sunnier moments that Loz shines, but he also reaches darker depths throughout ‘Crossroads’.
When the instrumentation slows down, Loz’s rich vocals croon atop the sparse production, affording the track a more sombre and yearnful energy.
It’s here that the singer-songwriter’s performance pulls focus, as he flits between airy harmonies and brooding whispers with finesse. It isn’t long before the energy picks back up again, and the track reaches its anthemic heights in chorus.
Here, there’s an almost Brit pop feel to the revelrous release that explodes with staple indie licks and Loz’s powerhouse delivery.
The effect is altogether moving, as Loz delivers a track that’s destined to fill-out stadiums without losing sight of its more intimate feel.
Much of this vulnerability is owed to Loz’s lyricism, with ‘Crossroads’ finding him in a moment of reflection on the trajectory of his life and the difficulty that comes with choosing a path forward.
It’s a fitting story for a 20-something musician like Loz, who delivers personal yet relatable insights into feeling aimless and as though “my compass is broken.” Later, he declares that “the system is broken” as he vows to “make the time stop.”
In between it all, Loz finds room for the reflective spaces that make life’s chaos feel manageable, from the “mountains and the pines all around” to the “stars from the parking lot.”
The rumination is delivered with an earnestness and vulnerability that’s rarely seen in indie rock, spotlighting Loz as an artist who belies his introspections with otherwise upbeat production.
What all of it amounts to is a transcendent and rich track, made all the more impressive for the fact that Loz is only just getting started.
Listen to Franc Loz’s new single ‘Crossroads’ below.
