Frankly Lost - We Can Do It Tour-Gether

For many artists (or at least the ones that mean it), art is a visceral expression of being, a translation of amorphous feeling into tangible experience. Art lets others into the artist’s world, peeling back the curtain to attempt to reveal the truth of their lives—a task much easier said than done. Yet still, so many musicians today are fearlessly stripping away their armor to share their experiences and connect with others through song. And for me, no artist puts so much of his soul on the line in this endeavor as Frankly Lost on his full-length We Can Do It Tour-Gether. 

Without question, this record sounds as ruthlessly raw as freshly scraped knee, as if Frank is five feet in front of me, strumming his guitar in my living room. His vocals are simultaneously soft and  strong, each note laden with honesty as he drives out his demons via insanely catchy choruses. There is a fantastic range of emotion and energy built into the tunes, from the slow sway of “Mr. Exposed Entrepreneur” to the folk-punk thumper “Sun Exists, Guns Out,” so that not a single second feels rehashed or contrived. 

The album's instrumentation is driven largely by Frank's unadorned acoustic guitar, chords ringing loud and proud from twangy strings that are often strummed at marathon speeds. Yet he is not wholly alone in this endeavor: "Liar" features a pounding bass drum and quick-footed basslines, "Death Metal Band" interposes ringing bells and gang vocals into the mix, and “Door into Summer” lapses into a ska feel with its delicious trumpet melodies. This mix of genres and instruments only serves to enhance Frank’s already-powerful songs, giving We Can Do It Tour-Gether a varied palate that can appeal to even the most rigid of music fans. 

For me, the most inspiring aspect of We Can Do It Tour-Gether is its lyrical honesty. Frank is a storyteller, a modern-day bard spinning his storied world into vivid song. But there are no clumsy metaphors to trip the mind or obscure the truth; he tells it exactly like it is, putting his pain plainly out before us. Lines like “I know that I'm dejected, aimless, / Hungry, self-obsessed and useless” from “Dehydrated” give us harsh glimpses into his struggles with depression and self-defeat. But Frank doesn't wallow in the despair of his music: even one listen to this record makes it obvious that these songs serve to purge that sadness from his heart by sharing it with the world. Frankly Lost's lyrics are so viciously real, veritable snapshots of the world he lives in, which I can't help but relate to with each and every spin of this album.

Frankly Lost’s collection of tunes on We Can Do It Tour-Gether is one of the most truthful pieces of music I’ve ever listened to. Every song is painfully sincere, a little slice of his soul woven between his guitar strings. Frank’s music draws me into his world—one of hardship, but also one of beauty—and lets me know that it’s okay to hurt, because there is always beauty beyond the pain. Even in its title, We Can Do It Tour-Gether asserts no one has to go it alone in this strange and oft-tiresome life, a  message that I hope to keep with me as long as I own this record. 

My Top Track: “Mr. Exposed Entrepreneur”

You can find more from Frankly Lost, including upcoming shows and news, on Facebook. Then head over to his Bandcamp page and get your own copy of We Can Do It Tour-Gether.