Back in August, Billboard Dance told you to keep a close eye on French 79, real name Simon Henner. His synthwave rhythms drip with bass-ridden groove and nastalgic magic, and the single “Hometown,” for which we’ve got the exclusive music video below, proves our point.
Even as it bleets and rumbles with retro ’80s sounds, it plays smooth and alluring on the edge of what modern electronic music should be. It’s funky, infectious, and it’s heavy with meaning for Henner.
“‘Hometown’ is one of my most successful tracks in the sense that it’s the first one where I expose myself by singing and writing about myself,” Henner tells Billboard Dance. “I’m talking about my hometown, Epinal, where I grew up, built myself, started making music, skateboarding, spent my teenage and built my own personality. It is also a track built in two parts with a long intro that reveals the melody and harmonies, plus a second part that’s more rhythmic. This is the two parts of French 79 universe: harmonies and melodies on the one hand and dance floor on the other.”
“Hometown” follows the single “Hold On,” whose music video also echoes Henner’s childhood as it follows a young man seeking adventure in the mundane on his skateboard. Both tunes are singles from his forthcoming sophomore LP Joshua, due for release Nov. 8 on Alter K.
Watch the music video for “Hometown” below.