Neal Francis on Thursday shared “Don’t Want You To Know”, the latest single from his upcoming EP Sentimental Garbage. Out on November 18th via ATO Records, the seven-song release is made up of “bittersweet scraps” from his breakthrough sophomore LP, In Plain Sight.
Like much of In Plain Sight, “Don’t Want You To Know” was taken from a difficult time in the Chicago singer-songwriter’s life. The downtrodden nature of Francis’ head-hung-low vocal delivery is amplified by the fuzzy guitar riff that rolls in like the sunlight after a night spent away from home.
“This song was another artifact of a bad breakup back in 2014,” Francis wrote on social media. “It’s about living a double life and paying the consequences. This is one of the first tunes I demoed out for the Neal Francis project with Mike Novak in 2016 when I was recently sober.”
Related: Neal Francis Welcomes David Shaw For “Can’t Stop The Rain” In New Orleans [Photos/Videos]
In addition to “Don’t Want You To Know”, Sentimental Garbage includes a cover of Shuggie Otis‘ “Strawberry Letter 23” released last month to herald the EP. Also found on the release is “In Plain Sight”, which was ironically left off the 2021 album of the same name in favor of the track “Sentimental Garbage”. Francis also delivers a “Parsonage Mix” of the standout, Derek Trucks-assisted track “Can’t Stop The Rain”, referencing the “parsonage” or clergy dwelling where Francis lived during a period following the previously mentioned breakup. He later returned to record much of In Plain Sight in that same church.
“I knew this was my last chance to slap Sentimental Garbage on a record jacket, the thought of which always brought me great joy,” Francis said at the project’s announcement. “It also works because this record is compiled of bittersweet scraps. I guess we could have also titled the record Burnt Ends.”
Listen to the new Neal Francis single “Don’t Want You To Know” and click here to pre-order Sentimental Garbage. Francis recently added eight new concerts to his tour in January and February 2023 with support from Danielle Ponder.
Neal Francis – “Don’t Want You To Know”