The France - 'Forever Too Long'

An earnest ode to unabashed romance, The France’s latest single is sure to resonate with lockdown lovers and all those who have been apart “Forever Too Long

Bands from Manchester are often quite unfairly pitted against one another because of the city’s rich musical history, boasting countless titans like The Smiths, Oasis and The Stone Roses, and more recently giving rise to indie staples Pale Waves and The Slow Readers Club. Well, The France seem unbound by geographical expectation as they unleash another dose of their refreshingly sanguine sound from with their first release of 2021.

Running a little under three minutes, ‘Forever Too Long’ bounces along at a boisterous clip and wastes no time in establishing itself as a no-frills pop track.

The song has a playful buoyancy with its half rhymes and jangly guitars, stitched together with an earworm hook. For those unfamiliar with The France’s back-catalogue, it’s an appetising first taste of what the band can do.

Lead singer and bassist Liam Dodd, guitarist Joel Murphy, drummer Joe Weetman and Richard Marshall on keyboard and synth are the ingredients that make up The France, who identify as such because they’re “From Rochdale And Never Can Escape”. With a growing fanbase, an affinity for uncovering universal motifs and a discography of catchy tunes, Rochdale might not be able to contain them for long.

Subtle harmonies built with Murphy and Weetman’s backing vocals together with suggestion of eighties revival synth-pop in Marshall’s synth playing make the single light and effervescent without being twee. Despite being recorded in the midst of the first lockdown, it feels like an antidote to the early 2020s. 

As a brighter future seems to be on the horizon Covid-wise, ‘Forever Too Long’ could ride an upswell of cautious optimism to become the song of the spring - perfect to be enjoyed in a park with one other person.

Words by Joe Buncle

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