Lust, sin and motherhood make for an enthralling story under any circumstances but, when the storyteller is Frankie Archer, tables get turned, light becomes dark and morals get rewritten. Released to launch her 2025 UK Autumn Tour, new single, The Demon Lover, might just be her best yet…

Release Date: Out Now

Label: Self Release

Formats: Digital

A RELENTLESS CHALLENGER OF THE STATUS QUO

At The Barrier is starting to see quite a lot of Electro Folk Brigand Frankie Archer, and she never disappoints us. A shaker-up of genres and traditions and a relentless challenger of the status quo, Frankie last appeared within these pages just about a year ago. On that occasion, we admired the boldly experimental approach that she takes to interpretations of traditional – often well-known – songs, as exemplified by her EP, Pressure And Persuasion.

New single, the Demon Lover, released to launch Frankie’s Autumn 2025 jaunt around the UK (details available here) continues along the same exploratory, experimental vein and – you know – it might just be the best thing that this revelatory musician has ever done…

ALMOST POSSESSED

The Demon Lover speaks of lust, sin and motherhood and the binary split between the pure wife and the whore – in the eyes of the patriarchy. As Frankie explains: “The Demon Lover is one of those old songs that was meant to scare women into behaving ‘properly.’ The feeling of repressed sexuality came through to me so much in the lyrics, I leaned into it to create this driving, dizzying, sound where you almost become possessed when you hear it.”

Frankie’s suggestion that listeners ‘almost become possessed’ isn’t the idle boast of a proud performer/interpreter, either. It’s a phrase that describes exactly how I felt when I first listened to the song – I used the word ‘unsettling’ and that’s particularly the case when the song is played in conjunction with its official video.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Frankie’s vocals are highly expressive and her North-Eastern accent proudly prominent. The discrete synth backing pulses and swirls and these sounds are the perfect accompaniment. Best of all, the aforementioned video is the stuff of nightmares. Even so, it’s a piece of footage that listeners of stout heart will want to watch again, and again. Not to be missed!

And you can watch that amazing official video to The Demon Lover below:

Frankie Archer online: Official Website / Facebook/ Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / TikTok / YouTube / Bandcamp

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