Dan Francia is well known for his various collaborations, so the Brooklyn musician called in a few favors for his debut solo effort, Come Back To Life. Not only does the record feature his Gobbinjr. bandmates, Emma Witmer and Hayley Livingston, but he also recruited some of his musical mentors, John and Toni Baumgartner of New Jersey’s Speed The Plough, and Feelies’ frontman Glenn Mercer. With this talented cast of characters at hand, Francia showcases his highly adept arranging and production skills, making Come Back To Life an eclectic, highly ambitious debut that feels like an aural rollercoaster.

Francia was once a member of the New Jersey band Speed The Plough, and it shows, as the songs on Come Back To Life prominently feature the kind of luscious sonic experimentation that you’ll find across Speed The Plough’s entire catalog. While that collective’s style leans towards chamber pop, Francia additionally incorporates some hard, post-rock elements into the 25 minutes of music on his first solo record, allowing the mood to oscillate between calamity and calm.

Francia never fails to change it up throughout the record, as tracks like “Ghost Story” feature a hardcore vocal breakdown, before transitioning into the intimate, string-heavy ballad “No Matter What,” and the hushed intimacy of “Come Back To Life.” The bass guitar is Francia’s primary instrument, and he displays a mastery of the thud staff akin to the Mike Watts of the world, most notably during the precise, slap-happy breakdowns on “Planet In Transit,” and the chaotic penultimate track “Can’t Forget.”