New Indie Folk from Acclaimed Songwriter Andy Tongren
The anthemic indie folk single filled with a sing-a-long worthy foot-stomping chorus and poetic lyricism. Tongren shares, “Franconia is about falling in love - with a person, a place, or both all at once. It’s the sudden, undeniable pull that feels destined. Over time, Franconia becomes more than just a place - it becomes a state of mind, a memory, a metaphor for how certain people and places leave their mark on you.”
Andy Tongren is best known as the frontman of Young Rising Sons, who have over 225 million streams and have opened for The 1975, Weezer, Bleachers, Halsey among others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGkgIC3M-Jw&list=RDcGkgIC3M-Jw&start_radio=1
https://open.spotify.com/track/1e8mgLvB3YTOpprylpoVBE?si=934a05f35b0046ba
By his own admission, Andy Tongren is an optimist. “I really do try and find the silver lining any way I can,” says the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter. “At my core, I feel like there’s nothing else I can do.”
That sunny disposition is the glowing core of his debut single “So Good.” The easygoing, compact tune is driven by an acoustic-backed verse before launching a blissful firework of a chorus that radiates joy and warmth - perfect for a summer playlist or a crucial year-round dopamine hit.
In one of art’s great ironies, Tongren says “So Good” was born of circumstances that were anything but. “It’s funny - it kind of came from a dark place,” he admits. “I’m living in a cold, dark basement on the outskirts of Bushwick, trying to get by day to day…Winter was starting and I think I just wanted to feel a little bit of warmth.”
Tongren wanted “So Good” to capture a vibe more than anything else. “I wasn’t overly precious with the approach to writing,” he explains. “All the minutiae that comes with blending art and commerce…it’s so easy to get caught up in that. On ‘So Good,’ I didn’t think - I just did. “If it’s a little bit off, leave it,” he continues. “There’s real human elements in this.”
And real human elements are what Tongren’s fans have loved about his work ever since the Ohio-born musician formed his previous band, Young Rising Sons with a tight-knit group of friends across the New York-New Jersey border. Their debut single “High” dazzled audiences, leading to a deal with Interscope Records and a dizzying tour schedule that found the group opening for The 1975, Weezer, Bleachers, Halsey and more.
"So Good" was quickly hailed by critics alike. OnesToWatch proclaimed Andy Tongren as a "pivotal voice in folk-pop", while We Found New Music called him an "impactful artist".
His second release "Franconia" is an anthemic indie folk single filled with a sing-a-long worthy foot-stomping chorus and poetic lyricism. Tongren shares, “Franconia is about falling in love - with a person, a place, or both all at once. It’s the sudden, undeniable pull that feels destined. Over time, Franconia becomes more than just a place - it becomes a state of mind, a memory, a metaphor for how certain people and places leave their mark on you.”
Andy Tongren is continuing to write an exciting new chapter of his career, leaving his mark and looking to return to the road and connect with fans who, like him, continue searching for the good against all odds.
