Frankie & The Heartstrings - Tender

Is it just us, or is there an attitude at the moment that seemingly wants to restrict or put down new British guitar bands. We understand that a reaction to the landfill was needed but it’s got to the stage were fresh new talent it getting hard to find. Are people not actually starting up bands, or can we just not find them. We need not worry though. Frankie & the Heartstrings are straight from Sunderland with their own DIY aesthetic, label and website.

Previous tracks ‘Hunger’, ‘Fragile’ and ‘Possibilities’ (they do like their one word titles, don’t they) certainly showcased a promise and potential, but it’s with ‘Tender’ that they’re really bursting from the blocks, and hopefully into some success. Sound wise it’s equal parts early ’80s New Wave and late ’50s Rock n Roll. The radio edit, is short and sharp, getting in and out in under three minutes and sounds like a little anthem in the making. Contagious and danceable it’s far from complex but harnesses the power of pop music and belongs on a single side of a 7” record.

The sentiment of the lyrics “I won’t leave, if you won’t leave, we’ll stay ‘til we see fit” is a timeless statement of rock n roll intent, in the old fashioned pre-Gallager way. The singer declaring “I’ll be yours and you’ll be mine”, doesn’t seem to care if it’s love or lust that he’s feeling, and to be honest it doesn’t matter. The boundaries of the two have always been blurred in pop and this continues in the fine tradition. A classic.