Los Frankies
Los Angeles-based quartet Los Frankies, fronted by Frankie Salazar and Frankie Clarke, recently resurfaced after a period of dormancy to prepare for the release of their debut album. Out March 6, “D.E.D. City” was recorded at Hollywood’s Sound Factory and emphasizes a raw, confrontational momentum that draws on the band's many influences — some punk, many not.
Recently, Salazar discussed the band’s intentions behind their gritty sound and the lessons they’ve applied from their decade-long history in the Los Angeles music scene.
YY: This debut arguably marks the return of a band that’s already existed in some form for years. How do you think this record would have been different had you written it five years ago when the two of you met?
FS: It probably wouldn’t have been much different. I would have done more of the recording, so it probably would have been a bit more stripped down. But all energy would be there. I don’t do drugs anymore… so maybe that would have changed things a bit?
Was there a conscious effort to distance yourselves from your early singles? If not, how might elements of the band’s early sound present themselves on “D.E.D. City?”
No, we aren’t intentionally distancing ourselves from anything we’ve previously released. The “D.E.D. City” album is a continuation of the music we made back then. Rock n’ roll, garage rock. Raw, gritty, in-your-face tunes to be played loudly.
You’ve previously mentioned bringing material to Clarke for her take before moving forward. Can you describe a specific moment during production where her instinct fundamentally altered a track's direction?
A lot of the production choices were made by her. Incorporating the third verse in “Dog City” was her idea. How “Gunna Wanna” sounds was her doing. We had severely altered the way “Gunna Wanna” sounded, made it sound more electronic. It was her idea to pull it back and make it sound more rock. She added a lot of every track.
The band plays regularly as a CBGB tribute band. Do any parts of that performance inform what you bring to the stage as Los Frankies?
We play those songs way too much. Like we’re playing at the Whiskey tonight doing a CBGB set. I’ve been playing these fucking songs on guitar since I was 14 and honestly I needed something else to play that was in the same vein. So we wrote a record.
What’s next for Los Frankies?
We’re almost done with an EP that we’re going to shoot a video for. We have shows booked to promote this album, and we’re just gunna keep on trucking down the line, playing shows and writing much. What else is there to do?
