Photo by Jackie Lee Young
Boston was the first stop on Frankie Cosmos‘ tour for their new album, Close It Quietly. Each of the album’s 21 songs are Frankie’s signature brand of short and sweet. Even though Frankie Cosmos has 4 full-length albums under their belt and more EPs and singles to boot, Close It Quietly shows that they still have room to figure out who they are, musically and thematically. (“A Hit” is a sparse poem sung without instrumentation that self-awaredly shares “Every song is a hit if you pretend to understand it; “I’m It” has truncated beats and a mid-level vocal range that feels like it’s leading you on a hero’s journey.)
It’s fitting, then, to signal this slight sidestep from straight bedroom pop by touring with experimental pop band Locate S,1 and singer-songwriter Lina Tullgren, starting at The Royale last Wednesday.
Locate S,1 set the tone for the evening with a synthy dreamscape.The 5 piece band interspersed guitar at calculated intervals to set the tempo against the drums’ soft snare and cymbal brush. But from song to song, their sound evolved like molten lava churning along and bubbling up as something new and strange. They rode a slow wave of funk with floating high note vocals contrasting with the strong bass. Other songs sounded like a slowed down carnival ride flush with organ keys. Their bright rainbow outfits chafed against their dark lyrics about the dangers of capitalism, misogyny, and violence, but Christina Schneider’s pop voice soothed over any discomfort.
Lina Tullgren followed, heightening the sound of soft, slowed-down dissonance beyond what Locate S,1 played. Echoey keys occasionally turned sharp to cut through the murky drop atmospheric sound. Tullgren’s band sounded like dark syrup, with their vocals trudging forward like sticky feet, leaving a trail in the wake. Tullgren’s voice is low and harmonious with the somber tones of their guitar. The sparse instrumentation created a focal point on Tullgren when they sung on a higher register.
Check out Allston Pudding’s live session with Lina Tullgren
When Frankie Cosmos took the stage, frontwoman Greta Kline admitted, “I’m scared.” The band hasn’t toured in a while, and Kline was openly vulnerable enough to admit it that this would be their first time playing new songs in front of live audiences. Vulnerability also rang thematically resonant for the opening track of the album and the evening, “Moonsea,” whose first lyrics is about the world crumbling. Kline wore a Daniel Johnston t-shirt, which prompted the audience to ask, “Hi, how are you?” to put the band at ease.
When they played “Windows,” they shared their worries about a relationship that failed from both parties being too enigmatic: “Call me can when you see through me”. But then on “Rings (On a Tree),” they also shared that “I was always me underneath everything I ever tried to be.” Tracks like “Wannago” are classic Frankie, with harmonies from keyboardist Lauren Martin. The band gave themselves room to experiment with their sound during each of those one to two minutes spans. Martin and bassist Alex Bailey got their own vocal solos for “Being Alive.” Then Kline joined Martin for a keyboard duet on “Korean Food.”
Kline pulled a few gaffes for her new songs. For “A Joke” she sang with a straight face and a plastic hand atop her head. For “Blue,” she donned a blue wig, and asked if she should wear it for the rest of the tour, with the answer being a resounding “yes.” Classics like “On the Lips” and “Jesse” made an appearance to lift spirits after the stripped down slower songs. (A flashy light show also energized the sudden upbeat tempos.)
Frankie Cosmos thrives when they’re being earnest. Lyrics like “I will die trying, I will die crying, I will cry dying, I will try crying, I will cry trying,” from “The Swirling” are a swift punch to the relatability gut. It’s like Kline reached right into your brain for inspiration. When the band played “Outside with the Cuties” for the encore, she invited the audience, as she always does…“I haven’t written this part yet. Will you help me write it?”