Frankie Cosmos is the Indie-pop project of Porches Collaborator Greta Kline. We’ve had a MAJOR girl crush on Greta since we first heard her album ‘Zentropy” Back in 2014. Her straight from a diary-esque songwriting is nothing short of relatable and super fun to listen to! That being said, we were so psyched to hear her newest album "Next Thing” which we’re obsessed with! Back with a more mature, fuller sound Frankie Cosmos is back to steal our hearts!

We Heard Frankie Cosmos was Headlining a show at Record Store/Concert Space 'Rough Trade’ so we HAD to snag some tickets. The sold out show was a cover Set and a part of the Northside Festival Showcase with Frankie Cosmos Covering Liz Phair’s 'Exile in Guyville' and Ava Luna covering Serge Gainsbourg’s 'Histoire de Melody Nelson’. 30 Minutes before the show a school of die-hard Frankie cosmos fans crowded the edge of the stage reserving their places and patiently awaiting for the show to start, spoke about their excitement and wondered which songs she'd cover as we readied our camera gear and prepared for the start of the show. Once the band entered the stage area the crowd cheered and applauded as Greta started playing her set. The atmosphere of the show was electric and joyous. Greta's guitar playing and sweet vocals added a nice twist on Liz Phair's iconic tracks and her stage presence made this show the opposite of disappointing!

Since We adore Greta and had some questions for her we reached out for an interview! Here Greta goes into detail about the origins of the moniker "Frankie Cosmos" and her interest in music as well as her fashion influences and go to items! Hope you're as exited as we are!

C+D: So how and when did you get into Music? How did that affect your life when it became a huge part of it?

FC: I always loved music--I started studying classical piano as a little kid, and my school had general music classes which I always liked. I started caring a lot about listening to music when I was around 12, my brother started showing me cool music (punk, rock, & folk music) and a couple years later took me to my first rock show. All the stuff my brother showed me became the reason I started learning guitar and writing music! 

C+D: Who are some of your musical influences?

FC: Some of my musical influences are Michael Hurley, Arthur Russell, Joanna Newsom, Bob Dylan, Connie Converse, Krill, Aaron Maine. These acts are all really different from each other but have influenced me because they don't seem to care what people will think and just make what they make!

C+D: How did you become known as Frankie Cosmos?

FC: It was a nickname that stemmed from the poet Frank O'hara...I sang backup on a couple Porches/Aaron Maine shows and he always introduced me as Frankie Cosmos. From there it became my stage name, and then soon became the band name!

C+D: There is so much energy at your shows and there is definitely an exchange of energy between you and your fans! How do you connect to your fans in a live setting and really relate to the fan in such an authentic way?

FC: For me I feel really connected to the audience when we play because I feel so emotional performing my songs. I think that creates a space for the listeners to become emotional too, and it makes some shows extremely special!

C+D: You just released your sophomore album, Next Thing - which is really rad! Can you tell us a little bit about the vision you had for this album?

FC: Thanks! The main vision I went in with was to document some of my favorite arrangements that the 4-piece band had been playing live for so long, because I knew it would be the last album we would record with that line-up of band members. But the album came to mean something else for me, which was that about half of it was older songs I had written, and half of it ended up being really new material about similar themes. So for me Next Thing ended up being evidence of how much emotions and memories can change over time.

C+D: Most of your songs are short yet fully constructed and read on deeply intimate and sometimes dark emotions, it often feels like poetry. Did you study poetry & does it play a role in your writing process?

FC: I have spent a lot of time reading and writing poetry (and taken a couple poetry classes), so it has definitely influenced my writing...but I treat the writing processes of songs and poetry differently. I think poetry has influenced my songwriting the same way that tv, movies, books, or paintings influence it-- when you take something in, it can affect your art/style whether you want it to or not!

C+D: Who would you say is your Style Icon?

FC: My mom! I was never into shopping as a kid so I just let her dress me for way too long...most of my clothes are still from her.

C+D: How has your style evolved over the years?

FC: I have started to worry less about the associations of what an item of clothing means. If I like something, I wear it. I mostly care about comfort, and I've stopped thinking about what an outfit says about me...My belief is that everyone thinks different things about different clothes, so there's no way you can actually "say something" about yourself with an outfit! so you should just wear what makes you happy!

C+D: What are the 5 clothing items you can’t live without?

FC: Blundstone boots, super soft t-shirts, Hanna Andersson pajama pants, strong hairclips, jeans!

Photographs by Alexis Perea