Frankie Cosmos - Inner World Peace (LP) - Clear Vinyl

Frankie Cosmos has always treated small moments like they’re worth framing, and Inner World Peace leans into that gift with quiet confidence. Released October 21, 2022 on Sub Pop, it arrives three years after Close It Quietly and feels like the next natural step for Greta Kline and her band. The songs are compact, bright, and sneaky in the way they lodge in your head. Nothing here tries to bowl you over, yet by the end you’ve got a pocketful of melodies and a diary’s worth of lines floating around.

The core quartet is in fine form. Kline’s voice stays feather-light, just above the guitars, and the rhythm section keeps everything buoyant without drawing attention to itself. Lauren Martin’s keys color the edges, Alex Bailey’s guitar finds these glistening counter-melodies, and Luke Pyenson’s drumming gives the songs that steady, heartbeat pulse. It’s the sound of a band that knows exactly how much air to leave in a room so a lyric can land.

Several singles set the tone. One Year Stand is crystalline and unhurried, a small-scale epic about time and attachment that never needs to raise its voice. Aftershook shakes the snow globe a little, with nervy guitar figures and a chorus that blooms like a thought you’ve tried to ignore. Empty Head sweetens the deal with an instantly hummable hook, proof that Kline can still write an earworm while asking heavier questions. Then there’s F.O.O.F., which rides an odd little loop and turns into a sleeper favorite, the kind of track that sounds slight until you notice how often you’re replaying it.

All through the album, Kline keeps returning to interior weather. The title sets you up for that. These songs sift through rituals, emotional static, and those drifting afternoons when the mind jumps tracks. Her writing makes daily life feel musical, but the band keeps it firmly in the body. Guitars chime, bass lines sway, keys glow at the edges. Nothing is cluttered, and that restraint is where the record’s charm lives. You can sit with the lines and hear them move around as the instruments give them a little lift.

It’s also a record that understands sequence. The pieces click together like short stories from the same neighborhood, each one catching a different light. Frankie Cosmos have always been strong at that, going back to Zentropy and Next Thing, and Inner World Peace carries that thread with a little more polish than the early days, but without losing the scrappy intimacy that drew so many of us in. You hear it in the way a chorus arrives right on time, or how a bridge circles back to a first verse image you didn’t realize would matter.

On vinyl, the album really opens up. The guitars feel rounder, the low end a touch more present, and Kline’s vocal sits in a sweet spot that suits late-night listening. If you’re crate-digging at a Melbourne record store, this is the kind of LP that rewards a blind buy. The Sub Pop pressing keeps the dynamics intact, so quiet passages stay quiet and the band’s little crescendos feel earned. Inner World Peace vinyl also looks right next to Next Thing and Vessel on the shelf, a tidy triptych for anyone building out their Frankie Cosmos albums on vinyl.

Reception was warm across the board, with thoughtful write-ups from places like Pitchfork, The Guardian, and Stereogum noting the steady craft and subtle growth on display. That tracks. No big reinvention here, just a band refining its language. The tempos stay brisk, the feelings are knotted but approachable, and the hooks sneak up on you. It’s friendly music that respects your attention, made by players who know the value of leaving space.

If you’re already in the Frankie Cosmos camp, this one feels like catching up with an old friend who’s learned a few new guitar voicings. If you’re new, it’s an easy entry point, especially if you like albums that live in small revelations. And if you’ve been hunting for Frankie Cosmos vinyl, this should be high on your list. You can buy Frankie Cosmos records online without much fuss, and Inner World Peace is the one I keep recommending to folks browsing indie pop or flipping through vinyl records Australia-wide. Gentle, tuneful, and quietly sharp, it’s a keeper.