What do these bands have in common: Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, and Dum Dum Girls? They all play simple, melodic rock ’n’ roll that’s steeped in ’60s girl-group sounds, flavored with ’80s–’90s indie pop, and shrouded in thick blankets of reverb. And Frankie Rose has lent her primal, Mo Tucker–like drumming to each of them over the past three years. Now she’s singing for her own band, Frankie Rose and the Outs. Their brand-new debut album sounds much like Rose’s previous bands, but in a more atmospheric vein.
The album opens with “Hollow Life,” in which wispy vocals float on a bed of organ, like something from the Twin Peaks soundtrack. But the album ends with the song “Save Me” disintegrating into a wall of noise that might have come from the Flaming Lips’ early records. In between, the Outs play a mix of both sounds. “Candy” begins with a surfy guitar riff but ends with spooky keyboards. “Girlfriend Island” alternates between squalls of feedback and blissful balladry.
Truth is, none of the songs on the album would have sounded out of place on the Dum Dum Girls’ debut album, released this spring. For that matter, the Outs sound pretty similar to Best Coast, another female-led band that has been getting a lot of attention lately. It’s tempting to see Best Coast and all of Rose’s bands in competition with each other — and Rose has famously feuded with her former bandmates in Vivian Girls. But it’s not really important to follow that story. If you love this kind of sound, it’s better just to appreciate your good luck that all of these bands are on the scene today.
FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS, Friday, September 24, Tin Can Ale House. $7.
What do these bands have in common: Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, and Dum Dum Girls? They all play simple, melodic rock ’n’ roll that’s steeped in ’60s girl-group sounds, flavored with ’80s–’90s indie pop, and shrouded in thick blankets of reverb. And Frankie Rose has lent her primal, Mo Tucker–like drumming to each of them over the past three years. Now she’s singing for her own band, Frankie Rose and the Outs. Their brand-new debut album sounds much like Rose’s previous bands, but in a more atmospheric vein.
The album opens with “Hollow Life,” in which wispy vocals float on a bed of organ, like something from the Twin Peaks soundtrack. But the album ends with the song “Save Me” disintegrating into a wall of noise that might have come from the Flaming Lips’ early records. In between, the Outs play a mix of both sounds. “Candy” begins with a surfy guitar riff but ends with spooky keyboards. “Girlfriend Island” alternates between squalls of feedback and blissful balladry.
Truth is, none of the songs on the album would have sounded out of place on the Dum Dum Girls’ debut album, released this spring. For that matter, the Outs sound pretty similar to Best Coast, another female-led band that has been getting a lot of attention lately. It’s tempting to see Best Coast and all of Rose’s bands in competition with each other — and Rose has famously feuded with her former bandmates in Vivian Girls. But it’s not really important to follow that story. If you love this kind of sound, it’s better just to appreciate your good luck that all of these bands are on the scene today.
FRANKIE ROSE AND THE OUTS, Friday, September 24, Tin Can Ale House. $7.
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