Renowned indie rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter Robert Francis and his group The End Times have a new album, titled Vol. 1, due out June 19th via Aeronaut Records.

It was during a cross-country drive from Nashville to Los Angeles that Francis began crafting the rock anthems that fill Vol. 1, a 10-song collection full of guitar solos, bombastic percussion, glorious harmonies, and the amplified chemistry of his End Times bandmates.

Accompanied by guitarist Drew Phillips, bassist Shane Smith, drummer Brad Cummings, harmony vocalist Cori Elliott, and multiple guests, Francis booked several weeks of recording time at Total Annihilation, a punk rock studio in L.A.‘s Lincoln Heights neighborhood. There, he produced the bulk of the album himself, with all the musicians playing together in the same room.

Several months later, while visiting Nashville to perform at the Americana Music Festival, the band cut two additional tracks with producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) at the iconic Bomb Shelter studio.

Vol.1 is built for highway-driving. It’s a soundtrack for the road, filled with songs that evoke the rush of open windows and the glow of the sun beaming through the windshield.

The Los Angeles-raised Francis has been traveling a quite interesting path in the music field, cutting his musical teeth with Ry Cooder, who gave Francis his first guitar at age nine, and being mentored at one point by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante.

Francis is a roots music mainstay who has released albums with Atlantic Records, Vanguard Records, and Aeronaut Records. He’s a prolific performer, an international chart-topper, and a road warrior who writes songs inspired not only by his own life, but also the lives of those he’s encountered along the way.

Big Takeover is stoked to host the captivating performance video of “Coast,” a heartfelt track from Vol.1. Francis’ longing vocals move from delicate reflection on the verses to soaring passion on the chorus sections, and the instrumentation follows his lead, seguing from a contemplative atmosphere to a rich sonic swell.

Francis and his band are shown performing together in the studio, interspersed with footage of them playing live and behind the scenes clips from the road. The free-roaming video takes on an added poignancy during these days of self-isolation/social distancing…

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