Inside the Home Studio of Frank Rabeyrolles for the Album Slow

Transmission 316: Interview with Frank Rabeyrolles

Frank Rabeyrolles is a French musician and producer. Since his debut in 2004 with the project Double U and the album Life Behind the Window, his output has moved between pop, electronic music, and lo-fi folk. Working under the aliases Double U and Franklin, he has released a sequence of recordings on labels including Sonar Kollektiv, Karat, and Plug Research, before establishing his own imprint, Wool Recordings.

Title: Slow
Artist: Frank Rabeyrolles
Release Date: 2026-02-20
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Label: Too Good To Be True
Description: Frank Rabeyrolles discusses his album Slow, released February 2026 on Too Good To Be True. An interview on home recording and 90s indie roots.

In 2011, Rabeyrolles began releasing music under his own name, shifting toward a more transparent, home-recorded aesthetic. His 2021 album, A Ghost by the Sea, transitioned into ambient territories, while the subsequent releases Boat Songs (2022) and Minor Blue (2023) utilized a traditional guitar, bass, and drums trio to construct sparse, linear ballads. His 2025 album, In Conversations, marked a return to solitary production and the “bricolage” techniques of his early work. Rabeyrolles manages the entire technical process of his records, from initial composition to final mixing. His latest album, Slow, arrives in February 2026 via the French label Too Good To Be True. It features contributions from long-term collaborators Romain Delorme and Sébastien Pasquet, focusing on internal shifts in arrangement and sonic texture.

Who were the foundational artists that first inspired you to produce music?

When I was a kid “the family records” were Jazz, Soft Rock oriented, I started really my own education with Garage Punk, Velvet Underground, 90’s Indie Rock like Pavement/ Sebadoh. Probably all these artists influenced me. I was also interested in Ambient electronica in the 2000’s ! but songwriting has always been the most important thing for me, more than “attitude”.

When did you first begin creating music, and did the environment around you support that creative development?

I began with Punk Rock and Garage in the 90’s, I was a student and played in different bands, I had one called Shaggy Hound and we were influenced by bands like Husker Dü. I wouldn’t say that my environment really supported me. I decided to stop University and this new life was more a failure for my family…

What were the biggest challenges you faced at the very beginning of your career?

At the beginning I wanted to mix Folk/ Indie Pop with underground electronic culture, it’s always difficult because the music scene is quite orthodox. My challenge was to try to exist and find my own style . People are sometimes more into recognizing influences  than listening to something without stereotypes. Indie Rock music and audiences  don’t evolve a lot. It’more becoming a “fan” game.

How does managing every role, from writing to mixing, shape the final sound?

I’m happy to control all the process, but it can also be dangerous to do everything alone without other people’s ideas and contribution. it’s difficult to have an objective vision about your music and if it has some interest. I often ask myself about the utility of offering your music into an official release. I know some incredibly talented people keeping this for them or only friends and family.  I’m not really a “band person”, it’s often too slow for me and even if you have a collective energy there are also a lot of “ego” problems.

How did recording at home specifically influence the mood of this album?

Recording at home is more of a slow construction than going to a studio for a week.  You have more time for deconstruction too. Studio is cool but quite expansive and it’s more adapted for a collective creative process maybe. Alone at home you’re more like a painter or a writer, everyday you try to build something, you take your time it’s a deconstruction/ construction process.

You took the photos for the album—how do they connect to the music’s themes?

Yes, the artwork is a picture I took in Japan a few years ago. I’m a ‘Volvo guy.’ I have an old 90s model, and I love this one shot in a garage in Tokyo. It’s not a rock ‘n’ roll car; it’s more connected with nostalgia, the past, and intimate feelings, which is why it connects to my music and this album, Slow.

Are there specific films or painters that influenced the “grain” of this project?

Terrence Malick movies influenced my way of making music, and old Wim Wenders / Jim Jarmush films too.

I went to Philosophy University. I’m really connected with psychoanalysis but also astrology and literature like Hemingway, Pessoa… Traveling also opens some nice creative doors…

What is the story or metaphor behind the title “Birds Aren’t Changing”?

“Birds aren’t changing” is a metaphor of a world on fire but in the chaos you can also listen to the birds singing and it reminds you of your childhood when you look at the birds doing your homework at home dreaming about a new life … 

After such an involved 2025 release, what is the next project on your horizon?

Maybe an  instrumental record focusing on guitars and “textures” I don’t really know yet. I’m always a bit tired when a new album is out! I’ll go back to work in a few months, it’s also very cool to listen to other people’s music and do a couple of gigs.

Photos courtesy of Frank Rabeyrolles

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others