Frankie & The Heartstrings - Hunger (03/10/2011)
Support slots for Florence and the Machine and The Futureheads, playing Glastonbury, Latitude and Reading and Leeds and being called “the kind of act that creates an entire world” by NME. These are the sorts of things not usually reserved for a young indie rock band from Sunderland in the UK that formed less than 3 years ago. Therefore I was very interested to have a listen to Frankie and the Heartstrings’ debut album, Hunger, to see if it lived up to the hype.
Opening with a brooding intro, then immediately breaking into an infectious fast-paced tune, Photograph is the perfect opening song. I can already see the catchy chorus of “Is that you in the Photograph” turning into a great summer festival sing-along. Lead singer Frankie Francis’s voice has a unique edge to it that immediately grabs my attention and keeps it. Ungrateful continues with the theme of young love, and continues to offer up contagious pop hooks that have been stuck in my head for the past few days. Next up is the lead single and title track Hunger. It’s easy to see why this has become one of the most loved songs in the year in England, it’s Vampire Weekend style guitar playing and The Wombats influenced “Oh oh ohhhhh” vocals are definitely a winning combination.
It isn’t until the 5th track when we get a change of pace in the drawn out ballad Fragile. It starts out slow and dark in the vein of Glasvegas but forms into an inspiring chorus which is one of the finest moments of the whole record.
The only disappointing track is the uninspiring song Tender. It’s three minutes of filler with no obviously catchy chorus and a repetitive beat which goes nowhere. However more highlights follow this in the form of It’s Obvious a heavier and extremely upbeat song which has a fantastic baseline which is similar to early Arctic Monkeys efforts and The Killer’s inspired closer Don’t look Surprised.
It’s clear to see why this is one of the most hyped bands in the UK at the moment. They have some fantastically appealing pop hooks and a similar sound to The Vaccines, another band who has recently taken off massively. With a solid debut album behind them and a rapidly growing fan base in their home country, Frankie and the Heartstrings are on the cusp of becoming a worldwide sensation.
Frankie and the Heartstrings are currently on tour with Eskimo Joe.
Sebastian Betten
Opening with a brooding intro, then immediately breaking into an infectious fast-paced tune, Photograph is the perfect opening song. I can already see the catchy chorus of “Is that you in the Photograph” turning into a great summer festival sing-along. Lead singer Frankie Francis’s voice has a unique edge to it that immediately grabs my attention and keeps it. Ungrateful continues with the theme of young love, and continues to offer up contagious pop hooks that have been stuck in my head for the past few days. Next up is the lead single and title track Hunger. It’s easy to see why this has become one of the most loved songs in the year in England, it’s Vampire Weekend style guitar playing and The Wombats influenced “Oh oh ohhhhh” vocals are definitely a winning combination.
It isn’t until the 5th track when we get a change of pace in the drawn out ballad Fragile. It starts out slow and dark in the vein of Glasvegas but forms into an inspiring chorus which is one of the finest moments of the whole record.
The only disappointing track is the uninspiring song Tender. It’s three minutes of filler with no obviously catchy chorus and a repetitive beat which goes nowhere. However more highlights follow this in the form of It’s Obvious a heavier and extremely upbeat song which has a fantastic baseline which is similar to early Arctic Monkeys efforts and The Killer’s inspired closer Don’t look Surprised.
It’s clear to see why this is one of the most hyped bands in the UK at the moment. They have some fantastically appealing pop hooks and a similar sound to The Vaccines, another band who has recently taken off massively. With a solid debut album behind them and a rapidly growing fan base in their home country, Frankie and the Heartstrings are on the cusp of becoming a worldwide sensation.
Frankie and the Heartstrings are currently on tour with Eskimo Joe.
Sebastian Betten