ALBUM REVIEW: Frankie + The Studs – Life’s A Glitch (Dead Beat Records)
Until recently, Los Angeles quartet Frankie + The Studs didn’t have a lot to show for almost a decade in rock ‘n’ roll – just three self-released EPs and a couple of digital-only singles.
The eponymous Frankie is the daughter of former Guns ‘N’ Roses rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke, and they deserve kudos for serving their time on the dive bar circuit instead of being fast-tracked to stardom.
They’ve had their share of bad luck; signed during the Covid-19 pandemic, they had a failed Pledge crowdfunding campaign, members came and went, as well as dealing with the usual shit life throws at you.
Now, at last, their fortunes seem to be changing. They recently opened for Longshot, the side project of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, earned an endorsement from Gibson and Yamaha guitars and a clothing collaboration with Forever 21.
Now, they’re disseminating their leather-clad garage-punk far and wide with Life’s A Glitch. Cut from the same cloth as The Runaways, Ramones and The Donnas, they have a charismatic frontwoman, all black kohl make-up and sassy street style.
They describe themselves as “a little glam and a little slam”, and this long-awaited debut (which Frankie calls “more of a compilation”) shows that while they can rock hard, they have lots of pop sensibility too.
The line-up is completed by Frank Salazar on lead guitar, Lizi Gionangeli on bass and Nick Rossi on drums, and yes, Frankie’s old man helped out now and again on bass and production duties.
Life’s A Glitch has 12 tracks on vinyl, 14 on CD, with three recycled from 2019’s Flash EP. One of them, Hole In The Head, gets things off to a lively start, and it’s followed by Bimini, a tribute to drag queen Bon-Boulash, from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Many of the songs here are about relationships, including Headrush (about a loved one sinking into alcoholism), glam stomper Flash and the hard-riffing Can’t Stand You.
Here I Lie is slower, and has a darker feel all together, while Monster is about coping with anxiety (and has a great GNR-like guitar riff in its breakdown).
Standout track Fuck This Shit is an infectious garage-punk romp which sends a big middle finger to a life of dead-end jobs. You’ll be singing along before the first chorus of “Fuck this shit, fuck you, I quit” is even over.
Not This Time is another break-up song, with acoustic instead of electric guitar, and it slows the pace and shows The Studs don’t just deal in foot to the floor rock ‘n’ roll.
Nothing To Do recalls early Blondie, which is obviously a good thing, and there’s a real surprise with a ballsy cover of Venus, the 1969 song by Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, best remembered as a 1986 No 1 hit for girl group Bananarama.
We’re near the end now, and Losing You is another song about – guess what, a broken relationship. It’s another poppy number, and sounds like a radio hit all the way.
The CD extras are the bluesy Some Kinda Love, which reminds me of The Pretenders, and She’s Insane, an early track which shows Frankie And The Studs at their punkiest.
Frankie says she wanted the order of songs to feel like a setlist they could play top to bottom, capturing their live energy. I think they’ve succeeded and on this evidence I’d love to see them live. 8/10.
