Grounded upon a musical foundation of gloriously youthful indie-rock sounds, four-piece New York based Frankie Cosmos declare their talents with sixth album Different Talking.
At first, the 17-song track list appears daunting, but with songs no longer than three minutes, we are met with an almost rapid fire of snappy yet thought-provokingly relatable lyrics set to instrumentation which ranges anywhere from a soundtrack of crunchy guitars and alternating rhythms to gorgeously mellow acoustics.
The album as a whole feels like a journey, exploring notions of regret, longing to the simplicity of daily life. Its highlights come from those definitively understated moments of relatability, drawing upon simple evaluations found within day-to-day life and putting them at the forefront of proceedings. Examples of this are found within songs such as ‘Bitch Heart,’ and ‘One! Grey! Hair!,’ with both highlighting intricate details which most will find mirror their own thoughts, subtly forcing us into the world created by lead singer and songwriter Greta Kline, because we can understand it.
Different Talking would fit well within that classic nostalgic indie sound. At points, the essence of various bands collates to inform the albums’ soundscape. Specific relics of this can be found within opening song ‘Pressed Flower’ and ‘High Five Handshake,’ which echo the work of bands such as Alvvays or even ‘Porcelain’ which channels that of Wilco. Despite this, with most music that follows the suit of such a genre, it can at points feel like we’re listening to something that has gone before, leaving us craving a sound which explores a more innovate path. This doesn’t diminish the album, merely places it amongst a selection of others which shares that similar quality of almost longing to return to a musical landscape a few years prior.
There are, of course, those standout moments. The joyous optimism of those opening songs. The annoyingly catchy lyrical and musical hooks found in ‘One of Each.’ Even the fact that each song brings its own identity, rather than blending into one. I would even go as far as to say this is music perfect for a Spring or Summer evening, never receding into a dull nature. It’s charming in its ability to offer different declarations of emotions throughout its play, coinciding also with instrumentation which varies from calm to joy.
As someone who is on that journey of moving on in life, away from everything I’ve known before, points of this album feel incredible in its significant thematic familiarity. It’s certainly one of those albums that will find you when you need to hear it.
Frankie Cosmos: Different Talking – Out 27 June 2025 (Sub Pop Records)
Frankie Cosmos – Pressed Flower (Official Video) – YouTube
