For those who crave smoke-filled, late nights out on the town, set to a soundtrack of dark and pulsating music, Chicago-based post-punk trio French Police are destined to be your new favorite band. Formed in 2018 by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Brian Flores, French Police have redefined post-punk for the modern era, incorporating the best parts of dark wave, goth, and indie pop to create a distinct sound that is undeniable upon first listen. With jangly guitars, retro drum machines and driving basslines, French Police's music shines through Flores' crooning vocals and lyrics sung in both Spanish and English, giving each song its unique personality miles apart from their contemporaries.
Following the release of their debut self-titled album in 2019, French Police have steadily amassed a diehard fan base through four full-length albums and several EPs as an entirely DIY and independent band — racking up nearly 400k monthly listeners on Spotify alone and kickstarted by their 2021 breakout single "Vampiro" which has been streamed over seven-million times. Once Flores rounded out the band's lineup to include bassist Rolando Donjuan and lead guitarist Manny Herrera, French Police's captivating live performances were further elevated, and soon the band would embark on several tours across the country, selling out dates in multiple major cities and further cementing themselves a must-see act in indie music.
2024 has already proven to be the busiest year yet for French Police, with the release of their most ambitious and cohesive album to date, Bully, which came out this past January, and in addition to the new music, the band appeared at major festivals, including the Cruel World Festival this past spring at the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, and played an international date in Mexico City.
With only four months left in the year, French Police are now set to embark on their most extensive headline tour across the US and Canada, which kicks off on September 27th in Milwaukee, WI. Before the year's end, French Police will also make their first trip overseas to Europe, starting in November with a nine-date tour featuring support from rising dark wave artist Wisteria.
So grab your favorite leather jacket and go on a night drive listening to French Police's latest album Bully, because the band will likely be coming to a city near you and playing the record in its entirety during every set.
In an exclusive interview with The Pretty Cult, we sat down with French Police's Brian Flores, Rolando Donjuan, and Manny Herrera to discuss the band's latest album Bully as well as their influences, touring plans and more.
When did you first discover music was your passion and what were those early formative influences?
Brian Flores: I think it started when I was 14 years old and stumbled upon the band Interpol. I saw a video of them playing on a TV show and they just looked so badass. Ever since then, I knew I had to start a band. I eventually got into indie music like Two Door Cinema Club as well and I would say they really taught me how to write songs.
Rolando Donjuan: I grew up listening to a lot of alternative and hard rock music like Slipknot and The Mars Volta. Seeing music videos from those bands on YouTube in middle school really made me want to chase the dream of one day being just like them and playing live music.
Manny Herrera: I played a lot of skateboarding and snowboarding video games growing up and they always had really cool soundtracks, especially the ones with the early 2000s grunge and alternative music. From there, that’s how I got started with music and wanting to learn how to play guitar.
Walk me through the origins of French Police and how you all came together?
Flores: I had a different band before French Police called Karma Wears White Ties that was really just a Two Door Cinema Club rip-off band. [Laughs.] I got tired of the band by 2018 and that’s when I decided to start French Police. I wrote our debut self-titled album in one month and just put it out on Spotify. I was doing solo shit where I was just the face of French Police for a while, but after the pandemic and once shows were back on again, I knew I had to put together a live band, so that’s where these guys came in.
Donjuan: I had been a fan of French Police for quite some time actually. I eventually got close to Brian just from messaging the band’s Instagram page and soon after, we would hang out all the time until he asked me to join the band, which was already a no brainer for me. Prior to French Police, I had never been in a band so this is my first time actually doing music like this.
Flores: Originally, I was going to have Rolando be the synth player and have Manny be the bassist because I was going to keep our old lead guitarist. However, I realized it should just be us three as the band, so Rolando shifted to bass and Manny moved up to guitar.
Herrera: It’s kind of funny because I learned all of the basslines for the songs and even made videos to show Rolando so he could learn, but then we made that shift. [Laughs.]
One of the most captivating aspects of your music is the fact that in addition to singing in English, you also sing in your native tongue of Spanish. How important was it for you to incorporate your culture and native tongue into your art?
Flores: It was never a thing of like, “Oh, I have to sing in Spanish because I’m Mexican,” it was more so because Spanish vocals are just so nice to hear. Obviously I’m proud to be Mexican and my roots, but really I just find it easier to sing in Spanish and it always sounds cool.
Your latest album BULLY is in many ways your most ambitious and cohesive release yet. What was your vision going into this record and what do you ultimately want it to represent?
Flores: Every time I write an album there’s never a vision or theme in mind, it’s more so just me being inspired at that time and sitting down to write a song which then leads into more songs. I think I wrote eight pretty good songs and I do agree that it is the most cohesive album. I’m not sure why it was so cohesive but I would say I was mindful of making each song have similar equipment and [tones] when I was recording.
What is your favorite song from BULLY, and why?
Flores: I really like “ESPEJO.” Everything about it is what I like in music in terms of guitar parts ,basslines and the overall vibe of it.
Donjuan: My favorite is “CRUSH.” I remember Brian sending me demos before recording the album and I listened to “CRUSH” first because I thought it was a cool song title and thought it would be a banger. Sure enough, it was. [Laughs.] I love how danceable it is and it always gets a really good crowd reaction when we play it live.
Flores: It’s funny, because that was the last song I wrote for the album and I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to put it on the album because I low key felt like it was a little head-ass in the beginning. [Laughs.]
Herrera: “DANCE TO PLAY” is my personal favorite. It’s got really great energy and is a lot of fun to play live.
What are some of your biggest highlights from your touring career thus far?
Flores: Playing Mexico City was something else.
Donjuan: Yeah! The fans over there feel so electric. They feel super passionate and sing their hearts out which always feels so good.
Photo Credit: Christian Morales
If you could tour with any artist, who would it be?
Flores: I think it would be cool to open a tour for Interpol. They’re the reason I started playing music, so it would feel really full circle to be on the same bill as them.
Donjuan: I agree, my dream tour would be Interpol.
Herrera: I’m gonna have to agree with both of you and say Interpol too. [Laughs.]
With French Police set to embark on a North American headline tour this fall, what are you looking forward to the most about this upcoming run?
Flores: This the biggest and longest tour we have played to date. I’m looking forward to playing new cities and I’m also excited to play Canada for the first time as well. We haven't gotten to play the new album live in a lot of these cities so it will be fun to play it every night for a month straight. We’re also going to Europe for the first time in November which is going to be dope.
Donjuan: I never would have thought that we would get to play in Canada, let alone overseas. Once we're there, we’re gonna give them a good show and hopefully they will enjoy the music.
Watch the video for French Police's "CRUSH" below.
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