By Millan Verma

Emmanuel Franco may have the appearance of a hard-nosed man, but the new video for his breakout song, “Broken Man,” reveals a very sensitive side to the LA-based songwriter. Franco’s lyrics seem like they come from love letters to his girlfriend, to whom he pledges lifelong allegiance to through a string of heart-throbbing, yet somewhat self-centered statements. Over a soft electric guitar and slowly crescendoing drums lightly stroked with brushes, Franco shifts seamlessly in and out of falsetto singing “My hands need you / You have the only body that I wanna hold … And I could never let you go / Someday you’ll understand, that I’m a broken man without you.”

The video, directed by Ivor McCray, has a very homely feel and provides an uncut look into the personal life of Emmanuel Franco. Shot mainly on what appears to be VHS, we see the artist get a haircut, work in the studio, do yard work, and have dinner with friends. The lack of narrative in the same way as his life seems to lack direction and narrative as he is “a broken man without you.” Instead of filming a love story with Franco and his girlfriend, McCray mirrors the intimacy of Franco’s lyrics by capturing the songwriter’s day-to-day life in some of its most vulnerable situations.

Ultimately, “Broken Man” and its accompanying video serve as a great introduction to Emmanuel Franco because it articulates some deep sensitivities that a lot of us feel but have trouble expressing.