Ahead of the release of their new album Benzene, San Francisco trio French Cassettes have shared “When you know, you know.” Benzene, drops on June 7 via Tender Loving Empire. Discussing the song’s origin, songwriter Lorenzo Scott Huerta noted, “I was listening to a lot of Bread and Barry White at the time, and this one just came out of that very quickly. I’d never paid more attention to what kind of pick I was using on my guitar; I just wanted it to have that feathery strum sound. I had just recently been helping a friend on their song and wrote what I thought was a really great melody. They didn’t want it so I used it on this one.”

Benzene was recorded at guitarist Mackenzie Bunch‘s studio in Oakland, and mixed by Nick Krill (War On Drugs, Generationals).

The album contains a world of references, quotes and handmade word-puzzles that only Huerta can fully unpack. Some of the band’s influences are apparent: The Magnetic Fields in the tight song construction and humor, The Beach Boys in the harmonies and experimentation. But Huerta’s lyrical aesthetic is his own, and Benzene is packed to the gills with funny, memorable one-liners (“I’m sick of bar banter, but attracted to the neon”) and punctuated by knife twists (“Sometimes you swear you barely know her”). Its themes never veer too far from separation: from partners you still want the best for; from family members who have died; from a person you’re trying hard not to be.

French Cassettes
Benzene
Track List
Tending Loving Empire

01. Fast Held Hand
02. Eyes Glazed Over
03. Medium Horny
04. Baseball Bat
05. White Noise
06. When you know, you know
07. Megabus
08. Normal Day
09. Finally
10. Up2You

French Cassettes 2024 Tour Dates:

05/30 – McGill, NV @ Schellraiser Festival
06/12 – Sacramento, CA @ The Starlet Room
06/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Highland Park Ebell Club
06/14 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
06/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ There Space Studios
06/17 – El Paso, TX @ Love Buzz
06/19 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
06/20 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
06/21 – Wichita, KS @ Elsewhere Festival
06/22 – Oklahoma, OK @ Resonant Head
06/23 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
06/25 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
06/26 – Denver, CO @ Skylark Lounge
06/27 – Ft. Collins, CO @ The Coast
06/28 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The DLC
06/29 – Reno, NV @ Lo Bar Social
07/24 – Boise, ID @ Alive After 5
07/25 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
07/26 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
07/27 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Tavern
07/28 – Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown
08/10 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands

Pre-order Benzene by French Cassettes HERE