There’s no rest for Frankie Cosmos who have announced additional North American dates starting on September 13th in Baltimore, with shows in Durham, Atlanta, Austin, Detroit and Pittsburgh, ending on Oct 7th in their home of New York City. These dates will follow the band’s European shows in July & August and are in support of their latest release, Vessel. See below for a full list of shows.
Ever wonder what it would be like to co-write an album with a band? Now you have the chance to find out. Loosely inspired by conceptual artist, Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, Frankie Cosmos front person, Greta Kline has created An Induced Album. Moved by the idea that LeWitt’s artwork can still be installed in new forms even after his death, Kline sought to create a version of this for her songwriting. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever made that I feel is incomplete until it is out in the world” says Kline. “Releasing recorded music is great, but I have never felt an excitement quite like this one– that once I release this, it really changes what it is. It’s not done until the audience participates, which really excites me (or actually, maybe it’s never “done”). It’s also very out of my control once I release it, unlike a finished recorded album, so that’s scary, but fun.”
You can access all the details to co-pilot your own Frankie Cosmos album at www.frankiecosmosband.com.
Jul. 14 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival Jul. 15 - Port of Menteith, UK - Doune The Rabbit Hole Jul. 27-29 - Denver, CO - Underground Music Showcase Aug. 17 - Paredes de Coura, PT - Vodafone Paredes de Coura Aug. 19 - Brecon Beacons, UK - Green Man Festival Aug. 21 - Belfast, UK - Voodoo Aug. 22 - Galway, IE - Roisin Dubh Aug. 23 - Dublin, IE - Button Factory Sep. 13 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar Sep. 14 - Durham, NC - Motorco Sep. 15 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight Sep. 16 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade Sep. 17 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn Sep. 19 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa Sep. 20 - Houston, TX - Satellite Bar Sep. 21 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger Sep. 22 - Austin, TX - Barracuda Sep. 23 - Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum Art Co. Sep. 24 - Oklahoma CIty, OK - Tower Theatre Sep. 26 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Sep. 27 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room @ Colectivo Sep. 30 - Detroit, MI - El Club (Outside) Oct. 01 - Cleveland, OH - The Grog Shop Oct. 02 - Pittsburgh, PA - Cattivo Oct. 03 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC Stage on Herr Oct. 05 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall Oct. 06 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg Oct. 07 - New York, NY - The Bowery Ballroom
[Photo Credit: Angel Ceballos]
What The People are saying about Frankie Cosmos: “It’s a dreamy rock album with lyrics that face unsatisfying relationships and inner turmoil with realism and flashes of warped humor.” [Vessel] - Paste
“The album is less about the epic poem of New York than about how the brain and the heart are connected by nerves and blood—less about Kline’s place in the world, than her place within herself.” [Vessel] - Pitchfork
Kline has a keen, quick grip on the back-and-forth of modern uncertainty, swinging high from triumph to low-lit sorrow. It’s why she’s such a comfort to return to.” [Vessel, 8/10] - Crack
“While intimacy has found a large pop audience in the social-media era […] Kline’s disclosures are striking because they feel genuinely homespun…nobody does it better currently”[Vessel, 4/5] - Q
“Slight but powerful indie-pop” / “There’s great charm to these yearning tunes”. [Vessel, 8/10] -Uncut
“Completely enchanting, it’s further proof that the band are one of the best” [Vessel] - Wonderland
Frankie Cosmos Tour in Support of ’Vessel’ HappeningWorldwide Now
Frankie Cosmos has shared a new video for their track “Apathy” which was directed by Tom Scharpling (The Best Show.) On the making of the video, front-person, Greta Kline says “I am a huge fan of Tom Scharpling’s work and was so thrilled that we got to work together on this video. I trusted him entirely and just wanted to let Tom and his team do their thing. We had so much fun making it…I was laughing so much that it probably took much longer than it should have to shoot my parts.” Decide for yourself who the “REAL” Frankie Cosmos is right here, right now.
The band will continue their US tour tonight in Pawtucket, RI, with stops in New Haven, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Philadelphia, before heading over to Europe on May 22nd. See below for a full list of dates.
Frankie Cosmos on the road: Apr. 30 - Pawtucket, RI - The Met ! May 01 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place ! May 02 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair * May 03 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot * May 04 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount * May 05 - Toronto, ON - The Rec Room * May 06 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme May 07 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall * May 09 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East* May 10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle (Back Room)* May 11 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House* May 12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat * May 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer * May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus May 24 - Ghent, BE - DOKbox May 25 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling at Paradiso (Small Hall) May 26 - Paris, France - Petit Bain May 28 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla May 29 - Glasgow, UK - The Art School May 30 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece May 31 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 01 - Lille, France - Aeronef Jun. 03 - Nantes, France - Stereolux Jun .04 - Lyon, France - Grrrnd Zero Jun .05 - Turin, Italy - Astoria Jun. 08 - Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium ** Jul. 14 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival Jul. 15 - Stirling UK - Doune The Rabbit Hole Aug. 17 - Paredes De Coura, PT - Vodafone Paredes De Coura Aug. 19 - Brecon Beacons, UK - Green Man Festival * w/ La La La & Florist ** w/ Belle & Sebastian, Perfume Genius ! w/ Nadine
Vessel is available now through Sub Pop right over here.
Release Week Happenings Include A Live “Juan’s Basement” performance via Pitchfork TV on Thursday, March 29th and a Reddit Indieheads AMA on Friday, March 30th.
Rejoice! Frankie Cosmos’ Sub Pop debut, Vesselis out this very Friday, March 30th. To celebrate the album’s release, they’ve shared a new video for song “Jesse” directed by Loroto Productions and the band. As described by Greta Kline, “for the video for “Jesse,” we were inspired by ASMR and slime culture. We wanted the song to be paired with mesmerizing and satisfying imagery. It turned into a marathon of playing with toys and goo.”
Frankie Cosmos will also be performing live on the newly returned Pitchfork TV show “Juan’s Basement,” on Thursday, March 29th at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 PST. For info on where to livestream the band’s performance, read here.
They’ll also be partaking in a Reddit Indieheads“AMA” [aka Ask Me Anything] on Friday, March 30th from 12:00 PM EST -1:00 PM EST/9:00 AM -10:00 AM PST. Access this message board right right over here.
The band will embark on a world tour in support of Vesselbeginning on April 5th in Boulder, CO with stops in Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Seattle, with newly added US and European dates in May and June.
Apr. 05 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater * Apr. 06 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep * Apr. 07 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf * Apr. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom * Apr. 10 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard % Apr. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theatre % Apr. 12 - Santa Ana, CA - The Constellation Room % Apr. 13 - Fresno, CA - Strummers Apr. 14 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre % Apr. 17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos % Apr. 18 - Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater % Apr. 20 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom % Apr. 30 - Pawtucket, RI - The Met May 01 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place May 02 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair @ May 03 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot @ May 04 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount @ May 05 - Toronto, ON - The Rec Room @ May 06 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme May 07 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 09 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East May 10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle (Back Room) May 11 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House May 12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat May 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus May 24 - Ghent, BE - DOKbox May 25 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling at Paradiso May 26 - Paris, France - Petit Bain May 28 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla May 29 - Glasgow, UK - The Art School May 30 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece May 31 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 01 - Lille, France - Aeronef Jun. 08 - Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium # Jul. 14 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival
* w/ Lomelda @ Florist & Lala Lala % w/ Ian Sweet and SOAR # w/ Belle & Sebastian, Perfume Genius
Preorders for Vessel are available now through Sub Pop here. LP pre-orders through megamart.subpop.comand select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on blue vinyl (while supplies last - we are nearly sold out!).
Frankie Cosmos will release Vessel worldwide on March 30th via Sub Pop Records. You can now hear the band’s latest single “Apathy” via Stereogum as well as read a lengthy interview with frontwoman Greta Kline (see Stereogum feature March 1st).
The band will embark on a world tour in support of Vessel beginning on April 5th in Boulder, CO with stops in Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Seattle, with newly added US and European dates in May and June.
Apr. 05 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater * Apr. 06 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep * Apr. 07 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf * Apr. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom * Apr. 10 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard % Apr. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theatre % Apr. 12 - Santa Ana, CA - The Constellation Room % Apr. 13 - Fresno, CA - Strummers % Apr. 14 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre % Apr. 17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos % Apr. 18 - Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater % Apr. 20 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom % Apr. 30 - Pawtucket, RI - The Met May 01 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place May 02 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair @ May 03 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot @ May 04 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount @ May 05 - Toronto, ON - The Rec Room @ May 06 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme May 07 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 09 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East May 10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle (Back Room) May 11 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House May 12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat May 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus May 24 - Ghent, BE - DOKbox May 25 - Amsterdam, NL - - London Calling at Paradiso (Small Hall) May 26 - Paris, France - Petit Bain May 28 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla May 29 - Glasgow, UK - The Art School May 30 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece May 31 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 01 - Lille, France - Aeronef Jun. 08 - Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium # Jul. 14 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival
* w/ Lomelda @ Florist & Lala Lala % w/ Ian Sweet and SOAR # w/ Belle & Sebastian, Perfume Genius
Preorders for Vessel are available now through Sub Pop here. LP pre orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on blue vinyl (while supplies last).
What are The People saying about Frankie Cosmos? Glad you asked:
“Frankie Cosmos know how good it feels to acknowledge how epically, infuriatingly, beautifully helpless love can be.” [“Being Alive” Best New Track Review] - Pitchfork
“’Being Alive’ flutters like a heartbeat, careening in and out of heavy motion and rest.” [“Being Alive” Track Review] - Stereogum
“The song has Kline wandering through apathy, thinking about the things she could’ve done if she’d had the energy or will, poking at her subconscious.” [“Jesse” Track review] - Noisey
Ever wonder what really happens when a band goes on tour? In Frankie Cosmos’ new video for “Being Alive,” director Daniel Martin captures a mix of live performance and behind the scenes footage from the band’s 2016 & 2017 European tours. But, touring isn’t just endless massage trains in the van on your way to the next city, there’s much more. Whilst performing as tiny little marionettes, the band get abducted by an Irish Space Dog and get transported aboard his kennel space-ship. Watch this live action space odyssey now. (then playlist the living heck outta this track on Spotify or Apple Music.)
Vessel, the latest offering from NYC-based band Frankie Cosmos, is available worldwide on March 30th, via Sub Pop Records. This 18-track opus finds bandleader Greta Kline’s distinctive songwriting voice enriched by the musical sensibilities of her bandmates– bassist/vocalist David Maine, keyboardist/vocalist Lauren Martin and drummer Luke Pyenson, who each played a role shaping the sound of the new record.
Preorders for Vessel are available now through Sub Pop right here. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on blue vinyl (while supplies last).
The band will embark on a world tour in support of Vessel beginning on April 5th in Boulder, CO with stops in Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Seattle, with newly added US and European dates in May and June. See below for a full list of shows.
Tour Dates: Apr. 05 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater * Apr. 06 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep * Apr. 07 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf * Apr. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom * Apr. 10 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard % Apr. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theatre % Apr. 12 - Santa Ana, CA - The Constellation Room % Apr. 13 - Fresno, CA - Strummers % Apr. 14 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre % Apr. 17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos % Apr. 18 - Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater % Apr. 20 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom % Apr. 30 - Pawtucket, RI - The Met May 01 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place May 02 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair @ May 03 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot @ May 04 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount @ May 05 - Toronto, ON - The Rec Room @ May 06 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme May 07 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 09 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East May 10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle (Back Room) May 11 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House May 12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat May 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus May 24 - Ghent, BE - DOKbox May 25 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling @ Paradiso (Small Hall) May 28 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla May 29 - Glasgow, UK - The Art School May 30 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece May 31 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 08 - Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium # Jul. 14 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival
* w/ Lomelda @ Florist & Lala Lala % w/ Ian Sweet and SOAR # w/ Belle & Sebastian, Perfume Genius
On March 30th, New York four-piece Frankie Cosmos will release their Sub Pop debut, Vessel. This 18-track opus finds bandleader Greta Kline’s distinctive songwriting voice enriched by the musical sensibilities of her bandmates– bassist/vocalist David Maine, keyboardist/vocalist Lauren Martin and drummer Luke Pyenson, who each played a role shaping the sound of the new record.
On the album’s first single “Jesse,” Kline works through feeling out of place, and trying to be more psychically in touch with herself. [Stop-motion animated visuals for this first track were expertly made by Ariel Noltimier Strauss.] One of the early songs from Vessel that the band arranged, “Jesse” was tied together musically by the melodic and agile lead guitar playing of Alex Bailey, who later joined Frankie Cosmos full-time on bass.
To record Vessel, Frankie Cosmos traveled back up to Binghamton, New York to work with Hunter Davidsohn, the producer and studio engineer who helped craft the sound for Zentropy and Next Thing, at his studio Business District Recording. The band spent 3 days upstate live-tracking drums, bass, and guitars, as well as vocals, favoring the spontaneity of reel-to-reel tape over the meticulous perfectionism caused by recording digitally. Several songs are instrumental first or second-takes, highlighting a newfound collective energy felt by the band’s four members after months of touring, practicing, and arranging together.
For the next phase, Davidsohn joined the band in Brooklyn to record harmonies, keyboards, and other overdubs with Carlos Hernandez and Julian Fader of Ava Luna at their studio, Gravesend Recordings. As Frankie Cosmos started testing out new songs for Vessel on the road, the band invited members from their fellow touring bands to join them on stage to sing or play parts on tracks like “Being Alive” and “Jesse.” Once in the studio, the band decided to invite those same friends and more to contribute parts to the final recorded versions: Alex Bailey (formerly of Warehouse, who has replaced David Maine as a permanent member of the live band), Vishal Narang (of Airhead DC), and singer/songwriter Anna McClellan. After a total of 6 days of recording followed by group mixing sessions, Davidsohn put the finishing touches on the album back upstate and eventually sent the completed album to Josh Bonati to be mastered.
Pre-orders for Vessel are available now through Sub Pop right over here. LP pre-orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on blue vinyl (while supplies last).
Vessel Tracklisting: 1. Caramelize 2. Apathy 3. As Often as I Can 4. This Stuff 5. Jesse 6. Duet 7. Accommodate 8. I’m Fried 9. Hereby 10. Ballad of R & J 11. Ur Up 12. Being Alive 13. Bus Bus Train Train 14. My Phone 15. Cafeteria 16. The End 17. Same Thing 18. Vessel
Frankie Cosmos Tour Dates
The band will embark on a US tour in support of Vessel on April 5th in Boulder, CO with stops in Santa Fe, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Berkeley, Seattle and Portland. Support on these shows will come from Lomelda, Ian Sweet and SOAR. Additional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tour Dates: Apr. 05 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater * Apr. 06 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep * Apr. 07 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf * Apr. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom * Apr. 10 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard % Apr. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theatre % Apr. 12 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room % Apr. 13 - Fresno, CA - Strummers % Apr. 14 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre % Apr. 17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos % Apr. 18 - Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater % Apr. 20 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom %
New York native songwriter and composer Greta Kline has shared a bounty of her innermost thoughts and experiences from the past six years through the almost inconceivable number of songs she has released since 2011. Like many of her peers, Kline’s prolific creative output was initially born out of an era where bedroom recording and self-releasing became more possible than ever through the advent of the internet. But as she’s grown as a writer and performer, playing to larger audiences and devising more complex albums, Kline has shifted from an artist who’s made strides despite limitations, to an artist whose impact can be seen across modern independent music. Her newest record, Vessel, which will be out spring 2018 through Sub Pop Records, is the 52nd release from Kline and the third studio album by her indie-pop outfit Frankie Cosmos. On it, Kline explores all of the changes that have come in her life as a result of the music she has shared with the world for the past half-decade, as well as the parts of her life that have remained irrevocable.
Frankie Cosmos has taken several different shapes since their first full band album, Zentropy, erupted in New York’s DIY music scene in 2014. For Vessel the band’s line up comprises of guitarist/singer Greta Kline, bassist/vocalist David Maine, keyboardist/vocalist Lauren Martin, and drummer Luke Pyenson, who each contributed their own musical sensibilities to help shape the sound of the new record, both on their principal instruments and others. In between tours supporting their last album, Next Thing, Kline brought new songs to the band’s rehearsals, and together the members collectively participated in turning them into full-band arrangements. As a result, the album’s staggering 18 tracks implement a range of instrumentations and recording methods unheard of on the albums preceding it, while still maintaining the succinctly sincere nature of Kline’s songwriting.
The album’s opening track, “Caramelize,” serves as the thematic overture for Vessel, alluding to topics like dependency, growth, and love which reoccur throughout the record. The song strings together a scope of musical motifs and showcases the intense dynamics in both Kline’s lyrics and the band’s performance that continue on the tracks that follow. Although many of the scenarios and personalities written about on Vessel are familiar territory for Frankie Cosmos, what’s really changed on the new record is Kline’s nuanced point of view and her desire to constantly question the latent meaning of her experiences. In the album’s first single “Jesse,” Kline grapples with the startling personal epiphanies in life that stem from dreams and subconscious realizations. On another single, “Apathy,” Kline confronts her own insecurities around personal change and feeling distant from the people she once had a close relationship with. Then later on the album “Accommodate,” deals with the complexity of being in a community that would rather turn its nose to a problem than hold its members accountable. “Being Alive” stands out as one of the few old Bandcamp-era Frankie Cosmos songs the band reworked for Vessel, and shows the rhythm section quickly shifting between fast and slow tempos as Kline ponders the minutia of existence. Kline’s dissonant lyrics are paired with the band’s driving, jangly grooves creating several moments on the album where the bandmates’ chemistry playing together is brought to the forefront.
Vessel’s run time is exactly double the length of Frankie Cosmos’ breakout record, Zentropy, and serves as enormous leap forward in the band’s catalog. But ultimately, the album’s unique sensibility, esoteric narratives, and reveling energy, allow it to exist as just another distinctive chapter in Kline’s ongoing musical autobiography. Through Vessel, Kline provides the listener with a spectrum of disparate anecdotes, observations, and affirmations and then tasks them with arranging the pieces in a way that they can make their own sense of. Typically albums by artists at a similar stage in their career are written with the weight of knowing that someone is on the other end listening. Yet, despite bringing attention to her audience in direct references, Kline and the rest of Frankie Cosmos have passionately written Vessel with a clarity not muddled by the fear of meeting anyone’s expectation.
