This is one of the best albums of the year. That’s a lofty statement, but anything Frankie Rose touches turns to gold. See the following three examples: she drummed in Vivian Girls during their eponymous debut which went on to garner universal critical acclaim, she drummed for Crystal Stilts during “Alight of Night” which influences much of what is seen in the garage rock scene today, and lastly, she drummed for Dum Dum Girls’ debut “I Will Be” which became an instant hit for Sub Pop. So why has Frankie left every band which has been propelled into public accolades? Probably because she has a whole lotta ambitious ideas, and in order to do them justice, she needs to lead her own band on her own time, and boy does she do just that for this self-titled debut. This is an album for the change of seasons, and Frankie’s voice should seriously start everyone’s morning off. It is encouraging, brilliant music which isn’t moody to the point of overkill. The drums are so polished that Rose no doubt makes a lot of people jealous: she is self-taught, hardly practices, and uses the most simple drumkit she can find- no lavish add-ons for her.

Lead single “Little Brown Haired Girls” was an interesting point to start off with. Released months ago, it was instantly picked up by every blog in the world to very eager buzz. It’s hardly representative of what the album is in the end with only one verse sung repetitively. But the instrumentation is swirling and seriously epic. There is no shortage of a hook in sight; you listen once and the captivation is engrained. “Must Be Nice” has a rockabilly vibe to it, and Rose can sing a simple “La la la” that will make you melt- maybe it is the amount of reverb on the notes or more possibly how fitting it feels within the rest of the song. Every progression seems so natural that you might end up kicking yourself wondering why your head couldn’t think the same way. “Girlfriend Island” is without a doubt the stand-out track; the jangly guitar riff is one of the freshest things in recent memory. The refrain is ridiculously simple: “Come hold my hand/It makes me feel better.” Frankie Rose’s lyrics are much in the vein of Best Coast, but where Bethany Cosentino is enveloped in summery West Coast garage rock hooks, Rose is all autumn and winter. She slows everything down to a crawl for the gorgeous album closer “Save Me.” The track hinges on the harmonies between all the women in the band as not much else changes throughout the 4 ½ minutes, but the reiteration of the melody makes the listener feel as if they are marching into the next great chapter of their life.

My honest reaction about this album is how it makes me feel afterwards. Frankie Rose manages to erase all the complications from your day and sit you down to reexamine what is really important. She is a radiant lyricist and even more talented instrumentalist. I would expect she will continue to drum freely for other bands, but Frankie Rose and The Outs is her creation, and she’ll continue to mold it into something truly breathtaking for music today. She manages to bridge the gap between this style of music and others, and it ends up being something that everyone should and could identify with.