“Next Thing” feels like exactly that. It is a push in the same direction of Frankie Cosmos’s creator Greta Kline’s previous work — it even recycles some old songs — but the trouble is the April 1 release feels too much like a checklist of chores for Kline. The album’s newness comes entirely from its timestamp, and it’s decently satisfying for fans, but listeners will have a lingering sense of dissatisfaction from the band’s end. The voice gliding through the speakers has matured, and the formerly glossy and youthful narrator is a bit disillusioned, perhaps even bored, which makes for an uneventful listen.
“Next Thing” is notably lacking energy. This is particularly evident in comparison to Kline’s previous work, which was marked by such a hopeful, pop-y sound. Now the recipe remains the same, but the ingredients lack the playful freshness they used to. Though Kline’s 2014 release “Zentropy” also found form in a studio, it managed to keep a certain roughness and weighted body that gave listeners a fun almost concert-esque sound. “Next Thing” is missing that sing-along ability that previous releases displayed so brilliantly.
On the bright side, “Next Thing” stays true to Kline’s bedroom pop aesthetic, even if it does balance a new studio-centered method. The songs offer a personal touch in a collaged, yet practiced, sound-scheme. However, the album delivers the sense of very original songs being pushed through a machine to become all the same size and shape — a look that does not fit Frankie Cosmos.
The songs are clean and polished and professional. This tailored-suit sound is certainly pleasing, but it feels unnatural and forced. Part of what made Frankie Cosmos so special was the specially crafted and unique identity of each release — the scratchy recordings of “Affirms Glinting,” the fun-loving tunes of “Zentropy” or the experimental and pop-embracing vibes of “Fit Me In.”
“Next Thing” offers nothing new to the vast soundscape that Greta Kline has already charted at the young age of 22. Instead, it’s a dull pastiche of her previous work. It almost feels as though the album was written on auto-pilot. There’s no denying it has something to boast, but it is markedly underwhelming and doesn’t invite repeated listenings. It functions too well as background music and does not demand attention the way her previous releases have.
“Next Thing” undoubtedly has its moments, though. “Embody” and “Too Dark,” both refurbished tracks, exhibit Kline’s ability to get audiences’ ears perked and heads bobbing. “Outside With the Cuties” and “What If” capture her poignant and easily-relatable lyricism with lines like “When you’re young, you’re too young / When you’re old, you’re too old.” Other gems on the album include “On The Lips” and “Sinister.”
Overall, “Next Thing” is worth a listen if for no other reason than to fill out the story of earlier records. It can come off as a less shiny “Zentropy” or just a generally mellowed-out Kline, but it is all still a piece of the puzzle to the deeply interesting and endlessly captivating musical character that is Frankie Cosmos.
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