Over the last year and a half or so, Johnny Franchino has been on as hot a run as anyone in Milwaukee. His AESTHETIX series has continued to be one of the most dynamic and fun pieces of music coming out of this city right now. It seems like Johnny Franchino and his AESTHETIX series are getting better and better, as he keeps expanding its sound and drawing in more and more people. Johnny Franchino first started making music for AESTHETIX in February of 2023. Over the course of the year, he ended up putting out 12 singles and an EP under this umbrella. Johnny Franchino built a ton of momentum as 2023 went on, with more people gravitating towards his music with each release. At the end of 2023, Johnny Franchino ended up winning a bunch of Wisconsin-based music awards for his music, and he cemented himself as one of the biggest rising stars in Milwaukee. I also included AESTHETIX on my list of my favorite Milwaukee music of 2023; if you want to see how I was feeling about it throughout the year, go read my multiple write-ups on it and go check out that list of 2023 Milwaukee music that I loved. Johnny Franchino has been just as prolific and captivating with his releases in 2024 as he was last year. He has already released 7 singles this year, showing his eclecticism and overall talent with each release. It is definitely pretty easy to see why so many people have been latching onto Johnny Franchino’s AESTHETIX music. AESTHETIX is a riveting blend of Hip Hop, Pop, and Electronic music; this unique blend of genres feels retro and current at the same time, making it super unique and able to appeal to a wide range of music listeners. Below, I wanted to highlight the two latest editions of AESTHETIX, ‘Wave Runner’ and ‘Invitations.’ Please let me know in the comments below what you think of these new tracks from Johnny Franchino, and also comment the names of any other up-and-coming or indie artists you think I should check out!

‘Wave Runner,’ which came out back on May 3, returns to a sound that Johnny Franchino has proven he can excel at over the last year. This one has a sound that feels undoubtedly inspired by the 1990s. When I hear ‘Wave Runner,’ I immediately think of the Trance and Hi-NRG music that was big about 30 years ago. This song almost feels like a fusion of the Trance and Techno one would expect from DJ Tiesto and the Hi-NRG House music made popular by artists like Real McCoy or Alice Deejay. The pacing on the drum pattern for this one feels like Techno, but the smoothness and metallic nature of the melody is a bit more Poppy. This melody is bright and dark at the same time. Somehow it has a positive and negative energy to it; it makes me want to party all night long, as it has an energy and grit that makes it so lively. The vocal performance from Johnny Franchino on ‘Wave Runner’ gives the track a bit of a modern feeling. His rapping makes the song so fresh. I really like the autotune and effects on his vocals towards the end of the track; weirdly, it gives the song an element that makes me think of groups like LMFAO, which obviously leans into the raucous energy of the track. ‘Wave Runner’ is a larger-than-life track that is bound to get any dance floor jumping when it comes on. ‘Invitations’ which came out on June 7, goes in a totally different direction than what I would expect from Johnny Franchino. This may be the most complex one I have heard from him so far, which is saying a lot. This song has elements of Trap music and various styles of House music. The first half of ‘Invitations’ actually has a melodic Trap banger sound that is sort of reminiscent of Chicago Drill music. I could literally see rappers like Lil Durk or Polo G rapping on the first half of the track. Eventually, an upbeat and intense House beat comes in, infusing the track with energy. Even with this House beat, the bassline from the Drill section keeps going, giving the song a quirky abrasiveness that I love. The Drill beat back in at the end of the song, sending it off with a bang. Invitations’ has a mean and melancholy melody that goes so well with the bold, bass-heavy beat, making this one feel so massive. Somehow, this track may have my favorite vocal performance from Johnny Franchino to date. I love everything about his vocals on this track. From the rapping to the singing, he makes this song pop and adds to the already awesome feeling that the instrumental has. ‘Invitations’ is yet another great track that shows that Johnny Franchino has so many more tricks up his sleeve. These two newest AESTHETIX songs are the latest reason why Johnny Franchino is one of the most popular and interesting artists in Milwaukee right now.