Although she is barely 22, Greta Kline (aka Frankie Cosmos) has both the aura and the experience of a fully experienced musician. She has released over a couple dozen low-fi DIY projects on Bandcamp in addition to an EP and now two proper LPs. Her newly released album, Next Thing is a big step forward both lyrically and sonically, with some of Kline’s best lyrics to date and fantastic full band arrangements that do justice to her songwriting ability.
Instead of mixing old songs with new, Frankie Cosmos played almost every track from the new LP before moving on to older material. She ended the initial section with my favorite Next Thing track, “Embody” before playing an Of Montreal cover and then running through highlights from Zentropy and the entirety of the Fit Me In EP.
Eskimeaux, the bedroom pop project of Kline’s longtime friend and touring band member Gabrielle Smith, performed before Frankie Cosmos. The band played lots of new material from an upcoming EP release. Their set was just as good as the headliner’s, as the new songs carry an immediacy that goes over very well in a live setting. Anna McLellan opened up the night accompanied by jazz-influenced piano.
This was one of the best shows I’ve been to in recent memory. Frankie Cosmos and Eskimeaux are two of my favorite artists in the scene right now and seeing them perform together was amazing. All the performances were solid and these artists have lots of great music still left to put out.
– Alex Johnson, WKNC Local Music Director