Perennial Cork favourites the Frank And Walters are back. A near death experience followed by period of reflection, then a slate cleaning triple album of odds and ends (Souvenirs) and now their first studio album in six years. It’s all come full circle: the guys find themselves at square one, making infectious, charming and effervescent indie-rock.
The term ‘reborn’ would not go amiss here. Exhibit A: album title A Renewed Interest In Happiness. Exhibit B: opening lines of feisty starting point ‘Fight’ – “Walk out into the sunlight/It’s a new day/It’s a new life”. Exhibit C: the quality of the songwriting.
There is an audible swagger on this recording; confidence bleeds from one song to the next. The sabre-rattling rock of ‘Country Boy’ reeks of fiery belligerence, its distorted hells bells riff lingering long beyond the final bars. ‘You’re The Greatest’ is grounded in a scuzzy garage riff, but goes off-piste into psych-dirge territory with brain melting results.
They still make room for moments of warm spirited frivolity. The rattle and hum of ‘City Lights’ skips amiably along while the single ‘Miles and Miles’ is a typically absorbing and poignant slice of jangle-pop. The slowcore acoustic closer ‘Johnny Cash’ would be an affecting parting glass, were is not for the unnamed chaser tucked in well after last call.
It’s impossible to hold the Franks in anything but the fondest of regard and now, just to reinforce that point, they have made their most complete album to date. No wonder they’re so upbeat.