Kat Frankie is a time traveler in the sense that she tracks loose ends of history whilst following them into the present, although not in the nostalgic or romanticised sense. Kat directs her gaze towards the future, putting everything into the language of music, highlighting the political turbulence of our day, and attempting to fathom the relationship and ever-renewing catastrophes. The 43-year-old’s latest album, ‘Shiny Things,‘ is also the product of an evolved observer, an empathetic thinker, and a passionate narrator. Kat Frankie’s songs, which can be perfectly described as defiant pop music, are all elevated by something, bigger. The highlight track ‘Wrong’ throws light on Kat Frankie’s admiration for Radiohead’s 1995 album “The Bends,” where the multi-instrumentalist light-footedly glides through a deep compositional effort evocative of the Brits’ secretive magnum opus.
Kat describes the writing process as “walking on broken glass,” with the music bringing hope and the lyrics tracking a forlorn gaze. However, there is no hidden objective; the songs themselves reveal their demands and possibilities. Throughout the nine tracks on “Shiny Things,” Kat wonders more than ever what impact art can have. After some thought, she decided to print her words for the first time in her career; her lyrics are always composed in tandem with her music, whilst comments speak to a critical Zeitgeist, challenging the conditions of our life and our own meaning in it, now more than ever.
This album is sure to make you consider the significance of speaking about controversial themes including white privilege, mass protests in Hong Kong in 2019/2020, and the exploitation of bodies and resources under capitalism. ‘Shiny Things’ can be interpreted as protest music, a polyphonic, understatedly-orchestrated lament for something that cannot be but exists in this embrace of phantom anguish, perhaps manifesting itself only in music. Dedicated to the rising ghosts of revolution, Kat Frankie’s fifth studio album, ‘Shiny Things,’ is her strongest work to date, dripping with beauty and dignity.
The album is out now on all digital platforms via Grönland Records
