Indie pop singer songwriter Frankie Bird has appeared on this blog once before. In June last year, she made it into our That’s Where You’ll Find Me pop round up where Jane compared her to Avril Lavigne. Now it’s my turn to share some of her music thanks to her debut EP Grassroots.
By Graeme Smith
Frankie grew up in Reading and performed in local pubs from the age of sixteen. She moved to London in 2021 to pursue her music career and continued to perform live at open mic nights where she quickly gained an audience. Her sound is driven by her love of Oasis and The Beatles and she has previously had her music compared to The Cranberries and Wolf Alice. She’s been supported by the likes of Amazing Radio and BBC introducing. This is all led to the release of her debut EP.
Grassroots is an introspective concept record which Frankie wrote about her experience moving to London and the challenges she’s faced in the music industry. She recorded it in a music studio in North London earlier this year, sharing her thoughts on themes such as growing up, social anxiety and self belief.
The EP opens with Background. You can detect the Oasis and Beatles influences straight away but Frankie puts her own spin on that classic rock sound bringing authentic emotion in her lyrics and a compelling charisma in her vocals. A passionate pop chorus is true bliss. It’s a strong opening to the EP.
Think Twice is a heart-rendering track where Frankie bears her soul and her fears. It has a delicately acoustic instrumental arrangement that lets Frankie’s expressive vocals take centre stage. Hidden Away is a brighter number with a jaunty tempo yet it’s confessional lyrics means it doesn’t lose any of the emotional impact that we’ve heard in the EP’s first two tracks. A catchy chorus proves to be a highlight.
Give me Faith closes the EP with some indie rock. Relatable and folksy lyrics leave everything out there and the track acts as the EPs emotional climax. It’s a powerful finish which showcases the bigger side of Frankie’s sound.
This debut is a wonderful showcase of pop and rock delivered by an artist who wears her influences well and has a clear point of view. She’s not afraid to use her voice and display her vulnerabilities in this short and sweet collection. Frankie is honest about the struggles that she’s faced breaking through in the music industry but if she carries on in this vein, I think it’s only a matter of time before she does. I hope you’ll agree. You can listen to the whole of Grassroots below.
