Joining us in the studio for this Indie Rock Hit Parade session is a group with one of the largest back-catalogs of any previous guest. Though last year’s Inner World Peace is officially their fifth full-length, singer-songwriter Greta Kline’s output as Frankie Cosmos spans dozens of independent releases dating back over a decade. Even then, Frankie Cosmos began as just one of the prolific musician’s many solo endeavors. Over the years, the project has both focused and expanded, growing into the four-piece band that visited our studios earlier this year.
Sharing the room with Kline in this performance are three other musicians who have all had a hand in bringing Frankie Cosmos (and her other ventures) to life. Alex Bailey reprises his guitar and bass duties from the album sessions, drummer Gabe Smith is recruited from Kline’s mid-2010s side project Lexie, and Katie Von Schleicher (on keys in this session) was one of the producers on Inner World Peace. The close-knit ties between these musicians is evident immediately as the session opens with the time-shifting “Aftershook.” Two sprightly character studies, “Abigail” and “Wayne,” follow, packing charm and energy into every moment of their bite-size runtime. For the session closer, instruments are traded and drums are muted for the pensive and atmospheric “One Year Stand.”
Watch and stream Frankie Cosmos’ Indie Rock Hit Parade session below, and check out Paige Walter’s post-performance band portraits.