Frances Whitney - “You Left Me For Jesus”
photo by camilla ffrench
California-based singer-songwriter Frances Whitney has just released the gloriously melancholic sounds of “You Left Me For Jesus,” a track that explores heartbreak and betrayal, which just so happens to be our wheelhouse.
“You Left Me For Jesus” ushers in the confident strums of an acoustic guitar, with flourishes of ethereally reverberating lead soaring across the top. Channelling the prowess of Fenne Lily and Phoebe Bridgers, Whitney begins her emotionally-charged vocal performance, raw in both its delivery and its subject matter.
As the track progresses, additional elements arrive, propelling the music forwards it gradually climbs into a magnificent crescendo. The rhythm section has a great deal to do with this sense of elevation, but the wondrous layers of auxiliary vocals are a remarkable highlight, adding harmony and dimension to the heartfelt nature of the sonic landscape.
From the fully fleshed character of the arrangement, to intimate moments where the elements are stripped away, “You Left Me For Jesus” ebbs and flows as it carries you away on a breeze of introspection. Whether it’s the dreamy sounds of the lead guitar or the upper register of Whitney’s vocal as the track comes to a close, this one will bring you back for multiple listening sessions.
About the track, Whitney adds: “I wrote ‘You Left Me For Jesus‘ from a place of confusion and deep heartbreak -- and somewhat uncharacteristically, the lyrics poured out of me nearly all at once. It's a raw reflection of how betrayed and abandoned I felt -- even in the absence of explicit infidelity or wrong-doing.”
“You Left Me For Jesus” arrives ahead of Whitney’s forthcoming EP, slated for release later this fall via 604 Records. In the meantime, you can connect with her online: Instagram | Spotify | TikTok
-HD