Another solid record from Frankie Cosmos, with some familiar tunes coming back for a formal mix and master. Some of these have been available on bandcamp as demos and played at live shows for a while, others are new. An exceedingly pleasant album full of relaxing tunes, nice harmonies and heartwarming imagery. The Frankie Cosmos persona is growing up and experiencing new things; those who remember last album Next Thing’s “I’m 20, washed out already / I’d sell my soul for a free pen” will see this in track 2 apathy’s “Looking around at 22, and so tired of myself around you / maybe I don’t fit your ideals anymore...” Every track is enjoyable. Super playable.

Note for DJs: You will not get a lot of mileage crossfading these tracks. Most start and end promptly; fading in and out will often cut off lyrics. Plan accordingly.

RIYL: Florist, Lomelda, Adult Mom
Favorites: love it all, some are starred
FCC: 12, 15

1. **“Caramelize” (03:27) Starts w/ vocals, if you fade in you will likely lose the first word(s). A pleasant song that is longer and a little more complex than most frankie songs. It almost feels like there are multiple movements of this song.

2. “Apathy” (02:23) Angsty tune about growing out of a relationship that doesn’t fit you anymore.

3. *“As Often As I Can” (01:02) Short and sweet repetitive song about expressing your love

4. **“This Stuff” (01:38) Beautiful tune, just Greta and no harmonies. Fav lyric: “not all trees have fruits or flowers, some are just there to grow”

5. “Jesse” (02:48) Wistful tone at the beginning, starts like a late night convo among friends then turns into a dreamy idea and evaluating one’s place in the world.

6. **“Duet” (02:12) Sweet love (infatuation?) song complimenting a beautiful person.

7. **“Accommodate” (01:34) Uptempo, emphasis on “my body is a burden, i’m always yearning, to be less accommodating, to say loud how i’m feeling.” an anthem for those learning about the difficult process of setting boundaries and demanding your space.

8. “I’m Fried” (1:40) Still med-up tempo but a little more melancholy. How to figure out how to be a good person?

9. “Hereby” (00:57) Deceptively cheerful, short song about a bummer.

10. “Ballad of R & J” (01:35) Interesting pace changes to transition between sections of this song. Fun summery jam describing the courtship of Ricky and Julie.

11. “Ur Up” (00:35) Simplistic piano tune. Greta starts singing/playing then laughs, stops and restarts. Sounds like a one-take recording. Still nice but purposefully unpolished compared to the others.

12. [FCC: “shit”] “Being Alive” (2:22) Starts with a count-in. Awesome. Fast-paced catchy Frankie Cosmos standard tune but slows down at some parts. Energetic and different members of the band take turns singing. FCC for the chorus (mantra?) “it matters quite a bit, even when you feel like shit, bein’ alive.”

13. ***“Bus Bus Train Train” (01:19) Sweet song about growing up and venturing out into the world.

14. *“My Phone” (00:31) Short sweet ditty about feeling secure and present around someone. Sounds like it would fit right in on the Juno soundtrack.

15. [FCC: “fucked”] “Cafeteria” (02:56) Upbeat song that may or may not be about a praying mantis living in a cafeteria preying on leftovers in the cafeteria, trying to avoid death. ??? Really fun little song regardless of its true meaning.

16. “The End” (01:23) Sweet guitar strumming/plucking tune about going thru some ups and downs in a relationship and being friends who have a shared history of making each other cry.

17. “Same Thing” (01:27) One of the thick & richer feeling jams on the album.

18. “Vessel” (03:27) Slower and building. Feels more philosophical. Finishes strong and triumphant.