Contrary to one of the songs on her latest album, Frankie Cosmos is 22. This is a fact that immediately made me feel quite old. Because sure, I’m aware that there are lots of “people” making music that are considerably younger than me and are making a more than descent living doing it. But for the most part, these are pop artists. They make music that is certainly pleasurable to listening to, but doesn’t have much nuance or lyrical depth. In addition to having pop-like pleasures, Frankie Cosmos’ music does have a fair amount of nuance and lyrical depth, but most of it pertains to the experiences of being both scared and in awe of what kind of possibilities are out there in this big beautiful, doomed world of ours. Which is to say, it’s the kind of music that only a 22 year-old could make. And once I came to that realization, I had no problem enjoying this album as much as I have.
“Intimate” is a word I would use to describe Frankie Cosmos’ music (or possibly “twee” if you want to be a little more condescending). Not because there’s anything shockingly confessional about Greta Kline’s (Frankie Cosmos’ given name) lyrics, but more because she sounds like she’s constantly having some sort of dry, thoughtful conversation with her listeners. Almost like you’re casually hanging out in Kline’s bedroom with her, as she rattles off different half-formed observations and puts them to these insatiable pop ditties. Which may have to do with her originally developing her sound in the confines of her bedroom, recording and releasing songs on bandcamp for the past few years before finally stepping up to the indie big leagues (and a full band) with her last two releases. Needless to say, her music always feels like a safe place.
But more than anything, this is just a really easy album to put on and listen to over and over again. It’s already become the album of 2016 I’ve listened to the most by a pretty significant margin. Some of it probably has to do with the fact that every track is around 1 or 2 minutes long, while Next Thing as a whole clocks in just shy of 29 minutes. Some of it also probably has to do with the fact that these songs are quite catchy, but they don’t necessarily beat you over the head with their catchiness, which might have a bit to do with the slightly introverted nature of Greta Kline’s songs. And for that, it’s an album that seems suitable for a lot of moods, and I can only assume it’ll get me through many more weird moods throughout this year.
Favorite Tracks: “Floated In”, “On The Lips”, “Sappho”