With his signature blend of raw honesty, retro charm, and deeply lived storytelling, Francis Baptiste returns with “Rent Free In My Mind”, a vulnerable new single about love, memory, and the grace of second chances. Following the hard-hitting “Aspirin for the Soul”, Baptiste now turns inward — trading the blues of survival for the quiet ache of nostalgia.
“Memories of you / and the thoughtful things you do / live rent free in my mind,” he sings with warmth and weariness. The track, out August 1, blends classic pop-rock textures with the heart of a man who’s grateful just to still be here. “It’s a little cheesy, a little retro,” Baptiste admits. “But I have to remind myself — I’m a 41-year-old retro guy. Sometimes you gotta let an old dog do his old dog music.”
Baptiste handles vocals and guitar, backed by a trusted circle of collaborators: Rob Thomson (bass), Max Ley (drums), Ricardo Pequenino (vocals, piano), and Kevin McCarthy (backup vocals). Together, they channel something between The Cars and Poison — a “dad rock” energy that’s worn-in, melodic, and sincere.
The story behind the song is as disarming as the lyrics themselves. “My partner, Brittany and I had a rough start,” Baptiste shares. “I was hiding a severe alcohol and cocaine addiction, and she was basically an angel. Eventually, I came clean to her — standing under an awning in Chinatown, ducking from the rain. That moment changed my life.”
Listen on Spotify here:
That honesty carries into every line of Rent Free In My Mind:
“My hand grazed your leg / the first night we met / I was a gentleman / with all my little lies…”
The song doesn’t glamorize the past — it simply lives in it, holding both the damage and the devotion in the same breath.
The music video, filmed at Vancouver’s iconic Khatsahlano Festival (on Baptiste’s birthday), is a celebration of that very love story — weaving candid home videos with sunlit performance footage of the band. “It’s one of the few lighthearted moments on this otherwise bleak and forthright album,” he says of the video, which also features Brittany.
Rent Free In My Mind is the second single from Baptiste’s forthcoming album Lived Experience in East Vancouver, out this October. The album documents addiction, recovery, fatherhood, and survival in one of Canada’s most misunderstood communities. Baptiste works in the Downtown Eastside at the DUDES Club, a men’s health organization — a role that informs every lyric. “I deal with my own addiction and the addiction of others every day,” he says. “This album is what that reality sounds like.”
Baptiste’s journey has never been linear. A near-fatal accident in 2021 after a DUI — which tragically killed two horses — became the wake-up call he couldn’t ignore. “The thought of my son growing up without me was very sobering,” he’s said. Since then, his music has become a vehicle for healing — with past albums like Sneqsilx (Family) and Senklip, the Trickster blending blues, folk, and songs in his endangered Nsyilxcən language.
He’ll take these stories on the road this summer, with upcoming shows across BC and Ontario, including the Vine Arts Festival (Aug 15), Burnaby Roots and Blues Festival (Aug 9), and Wolf Island (Sept 19).
Because some memories hurt. Some heal. And some — like the ones in Rent Free In My Mind — do both at once.
https://www.francisbaptiste.ca
https://francis-baptiste.bandcamp.com/track/aspirin-for-the-soul