By Alex Kantarelis

William Francis, best known as the vocalist of horror-punk band Aiden, has been spending the last few years with his electronic project, William Control, which has turned into something much bigger than he could have ever hoped.

Growing up as a fan of punk bands like Bad Religion and the Misfits, the sound Aiden created was a natural reaction to that kind of music. When Francis began experimenting with some of his own songs, a new sound emerged that ended up turning into this project, which reflects his thinking outside of the box of hardcore punk style.

“To step outside of that scene and do something completely different was terrifying,” Francis said. William Control has since released three full-length albums, an EP and a live DVD and just wrapped a six-week U.S. tour with Black Veil Brides.

Francis was always a fan of bands like New Order, Depeche Mode and Joy Division and began writing his own tunes that paid homage to those bands. Electronic music was a scene he wasn’t entirely familiar with, but those three bands really stood out to him and inspired his song-writing style. He started writing his songs with the help of a drum machine and a synthesizer instead of instruments.

“To fall into this genre of music was totally by accident,” he said. After hitting the studio in 2008 to record his tracks, it was clear that he was on to something, and soon enough, Victory Records signed him and released his debut, Hate Culture. After recording and releasing the album, Francis had to find a way to play shows and assembled a group to put together an energetic live show that quickly hit the road and started touring.

“It was a totally backwards way to start a band,” he said. The momentum continued into 2009, which saw William Control releasing its follow-up album, Noir, also on Victory, with more tours following.

As the music industry began imploding on itself and labels started shutting down left and right, Francis, who was no longer contractually obligated to Victory Records, decided to release a five-song EP at the end of 2011 under his own Control Records. This gave him the freedom to do anything he wanted, and after more touring, he released his third full-length, Silentium Amoris.

While he loves being on his own and not having a label control him, Francis said there are pros and cons to running his own show. “When you have a label, there are a bunch of people working the press, a bunch of people handling shipping. So you don’t have to worry about that. But you’re at the whim of what they say, what the schedule is and what they want you to do. Doing it on your own is so much more liberating.”

Now, Francis handles everything, from his own public relations to shipping out the hundreds of packages fans order and holding up the line at the post office. “The lady at the post office wants to kill you,” he said, laughing. “But it’s worth it, though. It gives you a closer connection to your fans.”

William Control shows no signs of slowing down, so expect to hear a lot more from the group as 2013 rolls on. The group already has plans for a new album to come out toward the end of the year and plenty of touring in between.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
williamcontrol.com
facebook.com/williamcontrolofficial
twitter.com/williamcontrol