The Franks – Duh 7″

Hailing from Los Angeles comes THE FRANKS. They’re a three piece band consisting of Jean Don’t, Ronny Ray Gunn, and Mimi Malone, as taken directly from their Myspace. They’ve got two official releases out there, and the most recent is this smoking hot 7″ from Hit City USA.

This 7″ comes five tracks deep, clocking in at just under 10 minutes worth of listening time. Those 10 minutes fly by every listen, forcing you to spin this gem over and over again. The band plays a scrappy form of garage rock with absolutely no rules at all, and don’t bother looking for the lo-fi sounds here because you’re not going to find any. They do it all with their own unique punky twist, creating a freestyle form of garage-punk that’s so addicting it’s scary. Blazing guitar hooks, crushing solos, and an invigorating unmatched energy mean this stuff is nothing but solid gold.

Lead singer Jean sings smart, intelligent lyrics that are as clear as a sunny day, meaning this stuff is perfect to sing along to. Their band name is also spot-on, for no reason other than the fact that Jean sings as honestly as possible. Sometimes he gets a bit morbid or hateful, but he still manages to keep that fun Franks vibe attached to the nasty things he says. In “Talk Soup” he starts off singing about loading up a gun with ammunition while nobody notices, which is definitely a bit alarming – he even calls himself a crook and steals some babies!! Then in “Ray Gunn Radio” he obnoxiously wails about how he hates everyone he sees, but at the same time he confesses he has no idea what’s wrong with him – “I hate everyone I see, I don’t know what’s with me.”

One last thing you might notice about his singing is how often he rhymes. Once again this makes for an all-too-fun sing along, not to mention it makes the music irresistibly catchy. But even though these songs are generally pretty short, the band still manages to get their point across, and then some. If you’ve ever checked out their first release, “Un”, you’ll notice that they were much more matured and organized in this Hit City USA 7″. They’ve definitely pin-downed their sound, and they prove it immensely with this fantastic 7″. Listen to the songs I’ve left below, and you can hear the 7″ in it’s entirety on their Myspace. Expect to see this one high up on the year end lists, which we’ll be bringing your way sooner than you think.

Can you believe it’s about to be 2011? Did you know the Styrofoam Drone will be one year old in less than a week? Crazy, crazy.

Ray Gunn Radio –

Talk Soup –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Punk
Duh 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Ray Gunn Radio
2.) Health Sciences
3.) Talk Soup
4.) Cough it Up
5.) Please Please

The Franks on Myspace !
The Franks – Official Website
BUY the 7″ directly from Hit City USA – only 500 !