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May 29, 2025

Dom Francis: “Leave Your Shoes At the Door”

By: Taylor Wallace

A long journey led Dom Francis to Austin. Originally from the northeast, Francis went through a nomadic phase taking up temporary residence in Missouri, Pennsylvania, El Paso, and now Austin. Francis’s stories and experiences in those places, and the places themselves, have all found a place in Francis’s folk-rock-fueled songs.

His previous EPs have led to his precisely appropriately named debut album The Wanderer. That title matched with Francis’s residential resume tells us to come close and take seat, but even that can’t quite prepare you for his illustrative storytelling that transports you right to wherever Francis wants. On “Leave Your Shoes At the Door,” Francis answers the gnawing question, “what would it sound like if MJ Lenderman and Belle and Sebastian collaborated?” Here, he pulls out some cuddly harmonies to match the gentle picking folk-rock melody that puts “sun-drenched room with the curtains pulled” into a sound.

The Wanderer comes out May 31st with an album release show that night at The Continental Club.


Episodes

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