BIKING WITH FRANCIS: MUSIC IS OUR TIME CAPSULE
Photo Credit: Jade Ivy @ivyzeye on IG
Pictured: Max Leonard (Left), Garrett Sparrow (Middle), Joshua Raw (Right)
Experiencing chills or goosebumps while listening to music is referred to as "frisson" in French. That’s exactly what I felt when I listened to the song, “Cerberus,” for the first time. From that moment on I delved deeper into the discography of Biking With Francis, a music collective from Charlotte, NC. Discovering their Instagram revealed an upcoming EP titled BRUNETTE, which was released on January 26th. Excited about this new project, I instantly knew that I needed to interview this group to get to know more about Biking With Francis.
Biking With Francis formed in February of 2023, but officially established themselves on April 26th, 2023 with the release of their debut single, “TYPE TIME.” Max Leonard and Garrett Sparrow, who met in high school band class, began making music together in 2019. The name “Biking With Francis” emerged during the creation of an email address for Distrokid. A few years later, Max, as a student at UNC Charlotte, was working on some beats and asked his friend, Felix Wood, if he knew anyone who could rap over them. Felix then introduced Max to Joshua Raw, who conveniently also attended Charlotte, to solidify the group. Their indie pop/alt-rap sound is heavily influenced by Tyler, the Creator, creating a clear relationship between their influences and how it reflects in their music, yet making it their own.
As the interview began, I quickly noticed the walls covered with music memorabilia – Tyler, the Creator coloring pages, a Jimi Hendrix poster, and a Greek t-shirt, which were all very on-brand. I am then greeted excitedly by the group's three members, 21-year-old Joshua Raw, 22-year-old Garrett Sparrow, 23-year-old Max Leonard, and Matt Ladis, their manager.
Photo Credit: Jade Ivy @ivyzeye on IG
Who are some of your influences, and would you say anyone directly inspires your sound?
Josh: “I’m a big hip-hop head guy. I love Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, but I also have a sweet spot for indie/bedroom pop and folk. The cool thing about working with Max and Garrett is that I can tap into that through them because I wouldn’t be able to do that by myself. I also love Lizzy McAlpine, and I would like to pride myself on listening to Lizzy when nobody listened to her.”
Garrett: “I was surrounded by a lot of music growing up. My older brother and I both played instruments, but my parents love music and were always listening. I grew up listening to everything from classic rock to whatever was on the radio, and when I got a little older and started taking piano and playing drums I got really into jazz, so I loved Stevie Wonder. I also love Michael Jackson and used to do concerts for my family. Once I got into high school, I was really into Tyler, Frank, Earl… and of course, Steve. Mild High Club influenced the way I did chords and arranged stuff. I am really into chords, a big chord guy. Luckily, I have been blessed to have a rich history with music.”
Max: “Growing up in the car with my dad, I would listen to Shins, Rush, or Jack White, and then one day he would play Kanye West, so it was just all over the place. The first piece of physical music I ever had, my grandpa gave me a Pet Sounds vinyl, so I love Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, especially their harmonies. Harmonies are my favorite thing about music. The odd future-ness definitely bridges the gap between us. I also love R&B like Frank Ocean and Daniel Caesar. We definitely wear Tyler on our sleeve; we love Tyler. And Playboi Carti.”
Biking With Francis began to work on their newest project, BRUNETTE, immediately after the release of their debut EP, HONEYDEW. They took a trip to LA, which was Josh’s first time there, and they stayed with some friends. Everyone there made music, and the house was stacked with instruments, making it a creative environment to be in. They started to mess around and ended up making the song, “Urdaze,” which is set to be a fan favorite on BRUNETTE. Josh had to go back to school, so Max and Garrett created a bunch of beats and instrumentals with the rest of the time they could and recorded some of the songs. When they got back they sent everything over to Josh and finished the recordings, and that’s how BRUNETTE was made.
What was the process like of recording BRUNETTE?
Garrett: “We started making BRUNETTE at the end of summer. We went to LA and we were just messing around and made this song called, “Urdaze.” We were like this is an insane song and we want to put it on BRUNETTE, but now all of the other songs just don’t cut it. And so we were like, yeah, we need to redo this EP.”
Max: “Within three weeks of going out to California and coming back, we had mixed, mastered, and uploaded a new project. We made, “Urdaze,” with one of our really good friends, Jonah Roy, who is a crazy talented producer. When we were just hanging out at their house, Garrett and Jonah started making an instrumental together, and they started playing chords. Garrett said it’s the most chords he’s ever used in a song; it just keeps going. Throughout the day, we would work on it for a little bit and then go outside and learn how to juggle, and then come back inside and have random conversations, and then we would start working on the beat again.”
Josh: “I taught them how to juggle. I am an only child and a jack of all trades, I can also solve a Rubik’s cube.”
What does BRUNETTE mean to you?
Josh: “I just recently went through a breakup, and I always used to complain because I was in a really solid, healthy relationship, and I had nothing to talk about in my music. Everyone else got to cry about their problems, and then I got broken up with, and we went to LA like a week later. It was all just coming out.”
Garrett: “On HONEYDEW, we were able to showcase who everyone was and show our strengths and how they combine to be the ultimate group. BRUNETTE is just capitalizing on that. This is a brand new era. We are still Biking With Francis, but we aren’t ‘summer, summer, summer, everything is orange.’ We want to come up with a different vibe for each project. Every album is a new entire world with a new wardrobe and a new character, and that’s fun to experiment with. At first, BRUNETTE sounded like the B-side of HONEYDEW, and now I am extremely confident in all the tracks.”
Max: “I graduated early so that I could move to the next thing. The first bit after graduating I was just doing music, but I wasn’t going anywhere or doing anything, and it was kind of stagnant. Then we started putting the pedal to the metal while working on our second EP. It represents change and makes me feel good about change, which is why I think this project is more mature than HONEYDEW.”
Josh: “I want BRUNETTE to feel different. When I think about our projects, I think about a moment in time. When I think about HONEYDEW, we made it during summer and it was hot outside. When I think about BRUNETTE, I think about going to LA and having fun. Also, if you close your eyes and listen to HONEYDEW and then you listen to BRUNETTE, you will definitely be able to pick out which song is from which project.”
Garrett: “I want each album to be one more hit to the face. I want the next EP before our next phase to be the biggest and hit hard. I want to have a great trilogy under our belts.”
Max: “The way we make music is very spur of the moment, and we get to capture something right then and there which is reflected in our music. I feel like BRUNETTE gives us a sense of identity. Music is like a journal; you can look back on it.”
Josh: “It’s like a time capsule.”
Having this conversation with Biking With Francis was truly uplifting because you could see how supportive they were of each other. It will be exciting to watch this trio grow and continue to push each other to get better. Following the release of this project, Biking With Francis plans to release another EP before the HONEYDEW Anniversary. Go stream, BRUNETTE, now out on all platforms.