The Edge

Coming to Town:

When: Tuesday, April 26

Where: High Noon Saloon – Madison

Tickets: $10 adv/ $12 door

The Basics:

Hometown: New York City

RIYL: Kimya Dawson, lo-fi, earnest lyrics

Stripped down lo-fi earnesty has always been at the core of Frankie Cosmos’ music, and Next Thing expands that sound to a full band setting for the first time. What began as simply a girl, a guitar, and a computer microphone is now a far more polished and rounded out arrangement; however, the higher production value does not blot out the emotional intimacy that makes Frankie Cosmos so special.

The record features revamped versions of old Bandcamp releases (“On the Lips”) as well as a new, more biting lyrical tone on some tracks (“Sinister”, “Is It Possible/ Sleep Song”). “Embody” is a highlight of the album, as it explores the parallel emotions of self-doubt and total faith in those close to you.

Next Thing marks Frankie Cosmos’ next step in the treacherous journey of carrying DIY lo-fi into the realm of small label indie. And this album accomplished that without surrendering any of the magic.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Greta Kline, the lead singer and guitarist, about the process of writing and recording this album, life on the road, and Arthur Russell. -Amy

Amy: So your most recent album, Next Thing, just came out and it’s a little different than a lot of the music that you’ve self-released because you’re working in more of a full-band setting now. How does that compare to the way you’ve made music in the past?

Greta: Yeah, I mean, this is like the first time that I was working with like a four-part project, versus the first studio record which was just a two-piece and now it’s a four piece, so that’s really different. I think it’s really special because all the original four members of the band, like, you can hear everyone’s influence on the sound and the way it turned out.

Amy: Production-wise, the new album is a lot more polished that a lot of things that you’ve previously released but you didn’t lose any of the intimacy or earnestness of the earlier stuff. How did you preserve the magic, so to speak?

Greta: Ah, I don’t know. The magic is just within me! I’m just kidding. I mean, all the writing process is pretty much the same, except for the fact that we were arranging for a full band and, you know, recording in a studio. But it’s all the same writing process and that’s why they’re the same vibe.

Amy: Right now, you’re right in the middle of a tour and you touch on the subject of touring in your song “Tour Good.” So what are some of the ups and downs of life on the road?

Greta: There’s a lot of emotional ups and downs of tour! It’s both really social and really isolating. So coming home can be tough because you miss your friends but want to crash and be alone too. Also we got a flat tire the other day in the middle of a 12 hour drive which kinda sucked. So we made do and slept somewhere unexpected. It was both an “up” and a “down”–it sucked to not end up where we wanted, but we got some much needed rest and finished the drive the next morning and still got to have the day we wanted.

Amy: Let’s talk about Arthur Russell. Some of my favorite lyrics of yours mention him. He’s such an amazing musician. What do you love about his music?

Greta: I love that he took a lot of risks and wasn’t afraid of experimenting. He also has such a unique voice, which I just love.