{"id":38241,"date":"2022-08-04T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=38241"},"modified":"2022-07-28T08:13:13","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T12:13:13","slug":"francis-lung-ex-wu-lyf-returns-with-2p-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=38241","title":{"rendered":"Francis Lung (ex-WU LYF) returns with \u20182p Machine\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Mancunian singer-songwriter\u00a0Francis Lung\u00a0returns with news of a new six-track EP,\u00a0\u2018Short Stories\u2019\u00a0which is out via\u00a0Memphis Industries\u00a0on\u00a0September 23.\u00a0It\u2019s the follow-up to his much-heralded 2021 album\u00a0\u2018Miracle,\u2019 which found critical acclaim at\u00a0MOJO, Uncut, Sunday Times, Guardian, Times, DIY, Line of Best Fit, Dork\u00a0and more and was noted for being\u00a0&#8220;<em>a tour de\u00a0force in melodicism&#8221;<\/em> as witnessed on Francis\u2019\u00a0BBC 6 Music-playlisted single, <em>Bad Hair Day<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first nibble from the\u00a0\u2018Short Stories\u2019 EP is\u00a0<em>2p Machine<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 out now with\u00a0a video directed\u00a0by animator,\u00a0Emily Garner\u00a0aka\u00a0Pastel Castle\u00a0&#8211; which demonstrates similar songwriting flair whilst at the same time pivoting to a more narrative style with a distinct Northern English sensibility.\u00a0The\u00a0spoken-word approach explored by Francis with <em>2p Machine<\/em>\u00a0edges throughout the rest of the EP too which addresses tragedy and vulnerability through a humorous, Mancunian lens. Watch the video clip for <em>2p Machine<\/em> via YouTube below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4ozMYmm4Ffg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-CA&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The past year has seen two significant life changes for the former WU LYF member\u00a0\u2013 a move to France, specifically Nantes \u2013 with wife and collaborator, Coralie and the birth of their daughter. Both had a big\u00a0impact on the songs that appear on\u00a0\u2018Short Stories,\u2019 as Francis explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;<em>Those first months following the birth of my daughter were a daze &#8211; the days were joyful, but the nights were long. Once I&#8217;m up, I&#8217;m up, and I could never get back to sleep after feeding or changing the baby. In my semi-delirious state, I would lie awake in bed making up stories in my head to pass the time. 2p Machine\u00a0was the first of these, which originated from memories of being a kid on holiday in the arcades on Blackpool Pleasure Beach.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The narrative of <em>2p Machine<\/em>\u00a0follows \u2018Sasha\u2019, a young Stevie Nicks fan with a penchant for gambling away her pocket money on the arcade machines. But her goal of winning as many \u2018blood-red tokens\u2019 as possible isn\u2019t driven by a desire to swap them for toys at the ticket exchange, it is instead part of a na\u00efve plan to try and buy the un-buyable &#8211; a friend. \u201c<em>It\u2019s a story about alienation and how our imaginations have the power to save us from loneliness, at least temporarily,\u201d<\/em> Francis says, \u201d<em>The arc of this tragicomedy, in which the protagonist utilises fantasy to try and escape harsh reality, is indicative of the tone on\u00a0the rest of\u00a0Short Stories.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Short Stories\u2019\u00a0was written, mixed and produced by Francis, a first for him, in Studio Velour, his spare bedroom studio following his move to Nantes. Like on\u00a0\u2018Miracle,\u2019 Francis played all of the instruments himself, save for some drumming contributions by longtime collaborator Andrew Richardson. The move to France gave him a new perspective on, and certain reverence towards, life back in Manchester, which made its way into his songwriting.\u00a0The accent, the dark sense of humour, the matter-of-factness and the general mood of the songs on\u00a0\u2018Short Stories\u2019\u00a0are evidence of this. Says Francis, \u201c<em>it&#8217;s a celebration of where I come from but it&#8217;s also taking the piss. This in itself is a pretty Mancunian outlook I think.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mcusercontent.com\/4c25773ce0262fea87830a367\/_compresseds\/1153fad3-e9ae-fe99-c196-5c2b3345e006.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"Francis Lung Short Stories cover artwork\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2018Short Stories\u2019 track list<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Midland Hotel II &#8211; The Restaurant<br>2. Due Date<br>3.\u00a02p Machine<br>4. Midland Hotel I &#8211; Anne&#8217;s List<br>5. Shadow Shyness<br>6. Midland Hotel III &#8211; Graffiti<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can pre-order\u00a0\u2018Short Stories\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/showyourbonespr.us4.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=4c25773ce0262fea87830a367&amp;id=87ae99a366&amp;e=718aede610\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Mancunian singer-songwriter\u00a0Francis Lung\u00a0returns with news of a new six-track EP,\u00a0\u2018Short Stories\u2019\u00a0which is out via\u00a0Memphis Industries\u00a0on\u00a0September 23.\u00a0It\u2019s the follow-up to his much-heralded 2021 album\u00a0\u2018Miracle,\u2019 which found <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=38241\" title=\"Francis Lung (ex-WU LYF) returns with \u20182p Machine\u2019\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[22,23,28,29,30,1907],"tags":[10832,438,10833,10835,10834],"class_list":["post-38241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-rock","category-indie","category-music","category-music-video","category-new-release","category-news","tag-2p-machine","tag-ep","tag-francis-lung","tag-short-stories","tag-wu-lyf"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/323DA025-01DF-47CB-8718-7C67C54BA98C-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-9WN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8365,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=8365","url_meta":{"origin":38241,"position":0},"title":"Papertwin get remixed by CREEP","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"July 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Brooklyn synth-pop trio Papertwin recently released 'Vox Humana,' their latest\u00a0EP that is now available digitally on Bandcamp and iTunes. The band have shared a remix\u00a0by New York trip-hop duo CREEP of the album track,\u00a0Alkaline. Take a listen to the reworking\u00a0below via Soundcloud. \u00a0 Papertwin has been playing music together since\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Papertwin promo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Papertwin-promo.jpg?fit=800%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Papertwin-promo.jpg?fit=800%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Papertwin-promo.jpg?fit=800%2C449&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Papertwin-promo.jpg?fit=800%2C449&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22204,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=22204","url_meta":{"origin":38241,"position":1},"title":"Papertwin streams new EP &#8216;Vacation&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"June 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"'Vacation,' the latest EP from Papertwin via\u00a0Druyan Records\u00a0is their third studio collaboration. It was self recorded in their New York apartments.\u00a0It was\u00a0mixed by Abe Seiferth (yeasayer,DFA Studios)\u00a0and\u00a0mastered by Heba Kadry (Neon Indian, Beach House). \u00a0The EP continues the band's unique sense of dreamy, dark, nostalgically sci-fi, synth-pop. 'Vacation'\u00a0features analog synthesizers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Papertwin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/56121ce6-e7fd-4eb3-b34f-04b9437b0ee0.jpg?fit=700%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/56121ce6-e7fd-4eb3-b34f-04b9437b0ee0.jpg?fit=700%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/56121ce6-e7fd-4eb3-b34f-04b9437b0ee0.jpg?fit=700%2C449&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/56121ce6-e7fd-4eb3-b34f-04b9437b0ee0.jpg?fit=700%2C449&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44637,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=44637","url_meta":{"origin":38241,"position":2},"title":"Trashcan Sinatras return with hazy, happy hangover anthem \u2018The Bitter End\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"March 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"After four years away, Scotland\u2019s beloved indie-pop poets,\u00a0Trashcan Sinatras, are back with a single that feels like a sunrise after a long, dreamy night.\u00a0The Bitter End\u00a0is out now via TCS Recordings, and it marks not just a return to music but a celebration of 40 years of songwriting, melodic persistence,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Trashcan Sinatras press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7334.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7334.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7334.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7334.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7334.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44072,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=44072","url_meta":{"origin":38241,"position":3},"title":"Severe Girls unleash infectious new single\u00a0\u2018Fill My Head\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"September 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Upcoming EP\u00a0\u2018Another Night\u2019\u00a0lands October 17, 2025 Severe Girls are here to rattle your brain in the best way possible. Emerging from somewhere between Manchester and Liverpool, the power-punk melodists drop their latest single\u00a0Fill My Head\u00a0\u2014 a four-minute blast of college-radio-ready chaos and hook-laden alt-rock energy. 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