Forget Your Head

Chronique

An indie rock group founded in Vancouver behind singer/guitarist Francesca Carbonneau, Frankiie emerged in 2015 with a debut EP that revealed '60s inspirations including girl groups and surf rock. They strengthen what were subtler psychedelic influences and focus on the harmonic, noir-tinted climate where these styles all overlap on their full-length and label debut, Forget Your Head (Paper Bag Records). Ringing guitar tones and a simple groove set the tone on the first track, "Funny Feelings." Evoking a poppier Grace Slick or Exene throughout the album, Carbonneau's naturally graceful vocals are punctuated by punky shouts and bent pitches that fall in line with the spooky melodic bass, minor intervals, and touches of the distortion that mark the song. The moodier second track, "Dream Reader," takes the psychedelia a step further via humming organ, gaping guitar delay, and spectral vocal harmonies. Elsewhere, among continued echo, "Glory Me" brings in more prominent synths and has musical spoken-word sections à la the Shangri-Las, and "Compare" adopts a cautionary musical tone and message inspired by social media. Flying against convention, some of the album's catchiest songs appear in the second half, including the uptempo "Alone Again," with its summery, steel drum-like timbres. There are moments of relative clarity on Forget Your Head, including Carbonneau's voice, which typically shines through arrangements and the mix. That clarity is delivered lyrically from time to time, too, with lines like "Forget the thing that is holding you back/Which is often simply yourself." In the end, the record's strong vocal lines and surfy, stylized sound are its main features, and double as its strongest allures.

© Marcy Donelson /TiVo