Frank From Blue Velvet - I Am Frank (2025) Hi-Res

Frank From Blue Velvet’s eponymous debut LP was macabre and mysterious, dark country punk that haunted me so much that I included it in my 2022 year-end list. Its successor, I Am Frank, is a different story, literally and figuratively. The East Sussex band, at its core a trio of Andrew J Davies (vocals, guitar) and Ruby Lyons (bass, vocals)—father and daughter—and Mark “Og’s” Storr-Hoggins (drums, vocals), have some closure to do.

The backstory: when the father left the family home, the daughter was left angry and hurt. For a period, the two didn’t speak, and when they eventually did, the pain and unresolved emotions hung heavy in the air. Their shared love of music ultimately became the bridge that brought them closer together. After a period of healing and reflection, they are now ready to write off their family issues. In nine new songs they delve into the period of addiction and disintegration, adding electronic rhythms, deep vocals and appropriate country twang to the personal lyrics.

The East Sussex three piece take a sidestep to their country punk debut. The revamped sound is gritty and raw, with basslines that rumble with unfiltered intensity and drums that drive each track with pounding, relentless energy.

The dark twang elements have not disappeared but if you break the surface you will find a restless undercurrent of electronic rhythms, adding complexity and tension. Andrew J Davies’ baritone vocals help answer the question you never knew you needed to ask. What would Lee Hazlewood guesting on a Cabaret Voltaire track sound like?

It’s an intense and relatable journey toward shimmering horizons. Isn’t there a little bit of Frank in all of us?