Earlier this year, Shlomo Franklin stopped by Relix to perform a song from his forthcoming debut full-length album. C Lanzbom produced the record which offers a nod to the folk rock of the 1960s and 70s, with a contemporary perspective as well. Today we premiere the official video for “Cruel Intentions” from Apt. 16, which is now available for stream.

Franklin tells Relix, “I wrote ‘Cruel Intentions’ on a bar napkin in an Irish pub at a show in upstate New York. It was one of those gigs where three and a half people came out and I played my guts out anyway. A lot of my artist friends know what it’s like to drive four hours to play a gig where you’re getting paid in beer and burgers and everybody wants you to play wagon wheel or running down a dream and while those songs are lovely, you’re really in it to sing your own songs, to be yourself and not simply be a parody of what came before you. Those gigs can either knock the wind out of you or invigorate you with more drive, passion, and conviction than you’ve ever had before. 

“In this case, ‘Cruel Intentions’ came along and made it a show I’ll never forget. A night that instilled a certain focus and joy that is unbreakable. When you write your own songs it’s sort of like looking in the mirror for the first time. You see things you always knew were they but never quite understood. That song is about the most innocent part of meeting someone and wanting to get to know them. It’s really about friendship at the core. I wanted the music video to mirror both the joyful and lonely place it came from. It’s a real banger at my shows and the band helps it explode on stage. It’s one of the more rock-and-roll tunes on my album.”