Frankie Cosmos – Different Talking
A warm blanket of bedroom pop vignettes, Frankie Cosmos's sixth album is a comforting listening, but hesitant to experiment
Scattered across 17 tracks which never stray over three minutes in length, the latest album from Frankie Cosmos, Different Talking, jumps between fragmented memories. Opener Pressed Flower is an ode to loyal listeners reminiscent of 2022’s wistful Abigail. Bitch Heart yearns for connection to nature through hazy harmonies and gentle synths. Frenzied drums echo the humdrum of modern life.
Frontrunner Greta Kline's storytelling is at its most honest through snapshots of stories blurring like ripped journal entries. If Joyride romanticises the musician life, Not Long agonises over professional abilities. Vulnerable songwriting nevertheless represents universal themes of growing pains, regret and past selves. Crescendos of mystical synths and jovial melodies in One! Grey! Hair! almost mask the lyrical lament of lost time. The unpredictable tempo denies preservations of youthful wonderment; 'The idea of growing up doesn't even cross my mind'.
Moments of rock brilliance are scarce. Your Take On, with dissonant 60s-esque guitars and talk-singing, is a jolt from whisper-soft vocals surrounding 2022’s Inner World Peace. Later tracks see development sacrificed for quantity. Despite treading familiar territory, Different Talking’s soothing melodies are tailor-made to accompany life's quiet corners.
Listen to: One! Grey! Hair!, Bitch Heart, Your Take On