dear francis is the new musical project of Jennifer Clavin, the artist known for her previous bands Mika Miko and Bleached. Growing up in Los Angeles amidst the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, the Nicole Simpson case and the LA riots, Jennifer’s life has never been easy. Her own struggles with type 1 diabetes, addiction and loss have profoundly shaped her artistic path. Earlier this year dear francis released debut single “touchdown (4-track)” self-recorded in on a cassette four-track.

Influenced by the music she grew up on Fiona Apple, Cat Power, Smashing Pumpkins, Lush, and Elliott Smith, dear francis taps into the raw creativity of the 90s, a time when music was pure, unpolished and deeply expressive. With her latest track “godheads,” Jennifer brings the intimacy of a bedroom confession to the fore. “It’s like a diary, a place to reveal your darkest thoughts, the pain, blame, sadness, and anger of losing a longtime friend to addiction.”

Produced by Randy Randall of No Age, Jennifer notes, “Capturing the raw emotion was key but introducing a big chorus symbolizes the anger and overwhelming feelings I had. The lyric, “I understand what it’s like to wanna die,” comes from my own battle with addiction. I know how easy it can be to disappear into it, sometimes leading to the worst mistakes, maybe even death. Life is hard and being sober is harder, but I’ve learned that having a higher power helps, even though faith doesn’t come easily to me. I’m jealous of those ‘godheads’ who find it easy to trust their higher power to guide them.”

The accompanying video, directed by her sister Jessie Clavin blends VHS footage from their teenage years with new visuals. “We found this old tape from 2002 of me, Jessie, our friend Chris (who passed away) and some others breaking into the Vandercamp bakery in Atwater. It’s just us being teenagers in LA. Jessie shot beautiful new footage to represent someone’s search for faith in hard times,” Jennifer explains. “Making a DIY video with friends like we used to was refreshing, it took me back to our creative roots.”

order “godheads” by dear francis HERE