Neil Frances

Not to be confused with singer songwriter Neal Francis.
NEIL FRANCES
Background information
GenresIndie-Dance Music
Years active2016-present
LabelNettwerk Music Group
MembersJordan Feller and Marc Gilfry
Websitehttps://www.neilfrances.com/

Neil Frances are an indie-dance duo formed in 2016 by Jordan Feller and Marc Gilfry. Their 2017 cover of Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You" was certified platinum in Australia and gold in Canada, with 5.9 million views on YouTube, over 197.2 million streams on Spotify[1] and it went viral on TikTok with 631 million views.

The band's name is an amalgam of Feller's parents' names as Neil is Feller's father's name and Frances is his mother's name.[2][3]

Early life and education

Gilfry was raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He comes from a musical family: his mother is a choir teacher, his father, Rod Gilfry, is an opera singer as is his sister, Carin,[4] who is also a voice actor.[5] He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Engineering.

Feller was raised in Sydney, Australia. His father, Neil, was in construction. Feller got his degree in business/economics. He was into disco, AC/DC, and West Coast Rap music, in particular anything that Death Row Records and Priority Records released. When he left school, Feller discovered dance music and self-taught himself how to deejay, which deepened his understanding on the integral nature of sampling in the music he was inspired by.[6]

Band history

Early years (2012-2018)

Feller and Gilfry met in 2012, each pursuing musical careers, when Feller remixed and produced two tracks for Marc's previous project. At the time, Feller was creating club music with his project, Light Year.[7][8] Feller moved to London, Gilfry went to New York and a few years later, they coincidentally moved to Los Angeles in the same week.[9] In 2016, Feller and Gilfry formed their band, NEIL FRANCES. Feller told the Village Voice that “when we shared the songs we'd written with some friends they gave us positive feedback, with one friend in particular sharing the songs with Chris Douridas at KCRW. To our complete surprise, Chris played one of the songs on the radio and the rest is kinda history.”[10] Douridas called their cover of “Music Sounds Better With You,” an “elemental homage.”[11] Feller and Gilfry told Complex Magazine that they'd covered the classic because "the track perfectly exemplifies sampling and the utter joy of finding a hook and repeating it at nauseam. The hooky repetition found in many of these late 90s house and French Touch records is a big influence on us."[12]

NEIL FRANCES released their first EP in 2018, Took A While, which includes the tracks "Coming Back Around," "Ask Me Anything," "Dumb Love," "Daydreamer," "Show Me the Right," and "Took a While."[13]

2019-present

NEIL FRANCES' full band includes Rhythm Luna[14] on drums and Greg Cham[15] who played on both studio albums, There Is No NEIL FRANCES (2022) and It's All A Bit Fuzzy (2024).

NEIL FRANCES have been on tour with Rüfüs Du Sol, Jungle, Odesza, Empire Of The Sun, SG Lewis, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. They have performed at festivals including Coachella,[16] Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits,[17] Portola,[18] Bonnaroo,[19] Outside Lands, Life Is Beautiful, Corona Capital, and  Floodfest.[20]

Club NF

Feller and Gilfry also tour as Club NF, which they created in 2024, focusing on a seamless live club music experience by remixing their studio albums in a live setting, and performing as a two-person set.[21]

Collaborations

NEIL FRANCES have collaborated with Poolside on the single “I'm In Love With You,”[22] dreamcastmoe on "She's Just the Type of Girl,"[23] Benny Sings on “Where I Become Someone,” Grae on “finding rhythm,”[24] “High Notes,” with PawPaw Rod, “Head Straight” with St. Panther[25] and DRAMA.

Discography

Took A While (EP) (2018)

Remixed (2020)

Stay Strong, Play Long (EP) (2021)

There Is No NEIL FRANCES (LP) (2022)

It's All A Bit Fuzzy (LP) (2024)

References

  1. ^ "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  2. ^ Rosen, Craig (2022-03-24). "Neal Francis & Neil Frances Embrace the Confusion As Their Separate Careers Take Off". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  3. ^ B-Sides® with Pete Mar (2022-02-09). Neil Frances Talk Debut Album, 'There Is No Neil Frances', Origin of Their Name, Live Shows. Retrieved 2025-11-20 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Carin Gilfry". LA Phil. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  5. ^ "America Awards 2024". www.onevoiceconference.com. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  6. ^ Ableton Podcast (2025-03-18). EP180: Interview with Jordan of Neil Frances - Ableton Music Producer Podcast. Retrieved 2025-11-20 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Light Year". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  8. ^ "Light Year - Come Together · Single Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  9. ^ LADYGUNN (2021-12-23). "LADYGUNN Neil Frances's December EP...the gift that keeps on giving..." LADYGUNN. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  10. ^ Callwood, Brett (2023-10-18). "NEIL FRANCES Feels Fuzzy". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  11. ^ DJ, Chris DouridasKCRW (2017-07-21). "Neil Frances covers Stardust's 'The Music Sounds…". KCRW. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  12. ^ "Rising Duo Neil Frances Debuts New "Music Sounds Better W..." Complex. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  13. ^ Vigil, Dom (2018-08-14). "Neil Frances - Took A While". Retrieved 2025-11-21.
  14. ^ Winter, Mark (2024-01-23). "NEIL FRANCES: "Slightly under the radar, not chasing pop stardom… that's the sweet spot"". NME. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  15. ^ Menachem, Michael (2022-02-01). "Neil Frances funk up The Fonda". Pass The Aux. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  16. ^ "Join Neil Frances This Week on a New Episode of FLOOD FM's "Hacked"". FLOOD. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  17. ^ "Portraits from Austin City Limits 2022 feat. The Marías, Goose, Robert Glasper, and More". FLOOD. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  18. ^ Bain, Katie (2025-10-03). "Hear Neil Frances' Set From Their Portola 2025 Afterparty: 'Some DJ Sets Are Just Way Better Than Others'". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  19. ^ "Portraits from Bonnaroo 2024 feat. The Beaches, Ashnikko, The Japanese House, and More". FLOOD. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  20. ^ "FLOODfest SXSW 2018, Thursday". FLOOD. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  21. ^ "Neil Frances Launches New Club-focused Moniker 'CLUB NF'". www.female.com.au. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  22. ^ Bronson, Kevin (2020-12-02). "Stream: Poolside & Neil Frances, 'I'm in Love With You'". buzzbands.la. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  23. ^ "2026 GRAMMYS Nominees Celebrate On Social Media: KATSEYE, Kehlani, YUNGBLUD, Addison Rae & More | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  24. ^ "Song You Need to Know: NEIL FRANCES, 'finding rhythm'". Rolling Stone Australia. 2021-11-26. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  25. ^ "Neil Frances: 'Head Straight' (feat. St. Panther)". KCRW. 2023-06-21. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
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