
Future Franz
I’m sitting alone in front of my computer, and Future Franz is looking at me expectantly. Not in person, no, but from the mousepad next to my computer. Writing under the not-so-stern gaze of the self-proclaimed mayor of Kornwestheim about a remarkable figure in pop.
Dressed stylishly in a Hawaiian shirt, bucket hat, and sandals, Daniel Strohäcker brought his alter ego Future Franz to life in 2019. Strohäcker is not only a graduate of an art academy but has also been involved as a producer under the name Äh, Dings in numerous songs by Maeckes, Tristan Busch, and Die Orsons. With his three releases "Normal" (indie pop anthems of absurdity), "Alleine vorm Computer" (a sad soundtrack to the post-COVID pandemic), and most recently "Magic" (beautiful escapism) Future Franz sings about the tragicomic life that comes along for someone, sometime, somewhere, all wrapped in light indie pop melodies.
Here, the Dada spirit of Neue Deutsche Welle meets hit-ready melodies that make any indie disco start to smoke and even as a non-smoker, after "Raucher" I find myself almost nostalgically wanting to stand next to the Marlboro cowboy and ride off into the sunset. Why not?
There is magic in Future Franz’s songs the magic of cheerful-melancholic indie pop melodies as well as the magical way he describes the absurdities of our reality. In the daily chaos of everyday life, the “pop star of the little man” puts a smile on your face. He knows, we know: it’s not going to get better. So let every day be Saturday instead.