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Single Review: Frankie and the Heartstrings – Everybody Looks Better (in the Right Light)

Frankie and the Heartstrings have been spreading their love everywhere, including most recently Australia and Asia, and they’re set to play a show at Liverpool Mojo on 13 November, then support the Vaccines on a tour of the UK in the rest of November into early December (full list of dates on their official Web site). No rest for the weary. They have, however, stopped long enough to write and record a new single, the cheekily titled ‘Everybody Looks Better (in the Right Light)’.

Produced by Suede’s Bernard Butler, it has the same herky-jerky-type energy that we’ve come to associate with Frankie and the Heartstrings based on their previous singles (‘Hunger’, ‘Tender’ [Video of the Moment here], ‘Ungrateful’ [Video of the Moment here]). It’s a mode we know and love when it comes to Frankie and co., and I find it faultless: there’s no hiding behind someone else’s production ideas. What you see is what you get. I understand that there are people who can’t stand this band and their sound, but if you require overproduction, fancy schmancy bells and whistles and more style over substance in your music, then this isn’t the sort of thing you would be keen on anyway. Enjoy your autotune and fake eyelashes. Far, far away from me, please.

9/10

The ‘Everybody Looks Better (in the Right Light)’ single from Frankie and the Heartstrings will be released on the 28th of November on the band’s own Pop Sex Ltd label. Its b-side will be ‘The Way That You Kiss’, produced by Ryan Jarman of the Cribs.