Self-released
Producer: Miles Delaco
The name might be a little on-the nose—Los Frankies is the dual Frankie attack of Clarke (of Frankie & the Studs) and Frankie Salazar—but when you have a quirk, why not lean into it? Salazar takes lead vocal duties with this project, though his harmonies with Clarke are key. Anyone already familiar with the Studs’ balls-out rock ‘n’ roll will find much to enjoy here. That said, it’s the differences between the two projects that makes it utterly fascinating. There are a couple of tunes right at the end of the album—“Death to the King” and “Far Away (S.F.S.C.)”—where Los Frankies switch moods on us. The former is a dark, post-punk mood-builder while the latter has fuzzy, ‘90s indie rock elements. Both are great, and a great surprise after a whole lot of punk ‘n’ roll glory. There’s no filler here; “I’m On Drugs” and “Sugar Town” have that awesome, trashy Hellacopters/Hives vibe, and that can only be a good thing.
