Frankie Cosmos
Next Thing
[Bayonet]
Greta Klein returns to the fold with a full band follow up to her wonderful debut proper, Zentropy. I say ‘proper’ as Klein made her name releasing nearly 40 albums and EPs via her Bandcamp page, though these were never intended, by her own admission, for consumption by anyone outside her circle of friends. This mindset still permeates her work as it showcases an assumed familiarity with her audience, an attribute that, for many, is the secret to her continued success. Lyrically speaking, Cosmos or Klein (it’s hard to tell exactly where the real woman ends and the persona begins) is characterised by a repeated leaning on her own rinky dink mythos, her relationship with her other half, insecurities that come with facing adulthood, the death of her beloved dog Jojo. By revisiting these same thematic tentpoles Klein displays a nous for world building – a world that we the listener, by virtue of extended exposure to, can’t help but feel a part of.
Frankie Cosmos’ music is never going to be described as ‘brawny’ but Next Thing is her fullest sounding yet. Zentropy boasted a full band but there is an exaltation of nuance on display here that furnishes this newie with an even great degree of replayability, with each understated keyboard flourish or vocal harmony feeling entirely more considered than anything we’ve come to expect from an artist who made her name off the back of prolificacy. Klein has once again delivered something beautiful, wholly unique and utterly essential.
Words: Danny Wilson
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