Frank’s Daughter is Frank (vocals, guitar, keys) and Arthur (guitar, bass, programming), two British musicians who found themselves working in New York in the late 2000’s. The idea for Frank’s Daughter was born in a Brooklyn bar over several bottles of red wine and maybe one too many whiskies. The duo returned to London, but finding the urban environment uninspiring, they relocated to an out of season alpine hotel, taking a van full of recording equipment. There, they spent two months in total isolation, returning with a stack of songs that were finished in their Deptford studio. These desolately exquisite songs form The Sound Of A Heart Unravelling, Frank’s Daughter’s debut album to be released July 1st.
Album opener ‘We Were Waves Once’, is no standard opening track. A delicate tune built of liquid eerie guitar spun backwards, sub-zero synths and Frank’s sober vocals filling the air, sound like a cross between Oliver from The XX and Theo of Hurts. This track flows neatly into ‘Gravity In Glass’, here Franks Daughter show their strongest sounding parallel is to ‘Kid A’ Radiohead. Toy piano chimes and soft, folky acoustic guitar lead to sharp drums and sporadic fuzzy bass, a lost track from Thom York this easily could be.
‘Best Glow’ sounds like the slow motion moments after particularly harsh rejection. Acoustic and distorted guitars bring both the deep and brooding sound. The vocals scream torment. This track is pure sombre class.
‘Peace Sleep Goodnight’, is a suitable closer. After so much strife, loss, and agonising intrigue, the strings here gently sway like flags in the breeze. It’s a calming, yet mystifying effect, one that washes out all the trauma or heartache from before and ends the album with a cleansed, mellow vibe.
Frank’s Daughter show an incredible approach to songcraft, born from emotion so genuine that it could have happened to you last night. With tracks like ‘We Were Wave Once’, ‘Best Glow’, and ‘Gravity In Glass’.
Final Verdict
The Sound Of A Heart Unravelling is an extremely personal record, full of dark and secret places we’d all go to be alone. Though not the simplest or easiest of LPs to sink into, The Sound of a Heart Unravelling certainly won’t disappoint.
5/5
