This Brooklyn beauty sheds her garage-rock image in favor of something dreamy and seductive
If there were an award for “Queen of the Scene,” that award might go to Frankie Rose, the raven-haired, Brooklyn beauty whose musical resume reads more like a dossier on the scene, having logged time in Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Crystal Stilts, and more. In each of these projects, Rose’s DIY sensibilities (not to mention fashionably messy drumming) helped propel said act to success; now, several years later, she’s shying away from the garage, in favor of the studio. Her sophomore record Interstellar (and follow-up to her 2010 s/t debut with the Outs) is a dreamy collection of ‘80s-influenced synth jams that wash over you like a stream, melodies glistening as they float effortlessly by.
Interstellar was produced by Fischerspooner guru Michael Cheever—who Rose credits with some of the record’s striking stylistic decisions. “Michael was able to make decisions I would never make, like pushing my vocals up,” she tells Vogue. “My first instinct is to do the My Bloody Valentine thing and hide it all behind the guitars, but he was like, ‘Nope.’ It’s something I’d never thought of, but now I’ll never go back.”
The record kicks off with the title track, synths twinkling and fluttering as they slowly fade in. Then come the vocals, floating like an astronaut in space as Rose croons, “moving…swiftly on the interstellar highway.” The mood is set—but then just as the listener relaxes into it, it changes, kicking things up a notch with emphatic kick drums and lush vocal swirls. It’s the sort of delicate, nuanced drama that recurs throughout Interstellar, as Rose switches tempo and style, but never too harshly or abruptly.
Follower and early single “Know Me” is a seductive slice of new wave candy, bouncy synths and dark chord progressions placing it squarely among the best of ‘80s revivalism (see also Craft Spells' “After the Moment.”) “Gospel/Grace” is a hazy exploration of air-y vocals and drums that might serve as the soundtrack to the most low-key dance party ever—while “Daylight Sky” finds the middle ground between new and chill wave, teeming with wiggly synths and mellow vocals.
“Pair of Wings” is a personal fave, church-y synths and ethereal vocals joining together to create something beautiful and stirring, while “Had We Had It”’s circular chorus blooms like a fountain, moments of exuberance bursting forth among twinkling keys. “Night Swim” is a second highlight, moving bass lines and percussive slaps adding a sense of stylish foreboding. And while the whole thing might seem like leaps and bounds from the Frankie Rose we’ve come to love, Rose insists that that is exactly the point.
“I've had people ask me: ‘Why would you leave a band that seems to be doing so well?’” she tells Pitchfork. “But I never wanted to be doing the same thing. That's what's so great about my current situation-- I can make a hip-hop record if I want. Now, I'm allowed this amount of freedom, which is all I've ever wanted.”
Stream Interstellar for free at Spin, then scoop it up February 21 on Slumberland Records.
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