“That’s So Bottle”: Frankie Cosmos Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of “Next Thing”
Article by Kayla Matheus / Photo Courtesy of Pooneh Ghana
Greta Kline, lead singer of four-piece Frankie Cosmos, hails from New York; much of her musical inspiration originates from the Westchester underground rock scene that she grew up surrounded by. Her songs feature poetic, self-aware verses, accompanied by stripped-back instrumentals that create a perfectly imperfect, DIY feel. Frankie Cosmos consists of Greta Kline on lead vocals, guitar and—for one song during this show—bass; Luke Pyenson on drums and vocals; Alex Bailey on bass guitar; Lauren Martin on keyboards, synthesizers, and harmonies.
The night opened with Grace Bloom, a Chicago-based indie artist. Her style features bubbly-sweet riffs, contrasted by upbeat and gritty guitar. She performed alongside Frazzle on bass and Adelaide on guitar, both of whom she often writes songs with. They invited the audience to play “Would You Rather” while they tuned their instruments, with options such as chilling on a cloud or sliding down a rainbow. A few stand-out songs of Bloom’s were “I Don’t Feel Like Dying Today” and their song “Stomach Ache”, released on August 28th.
Kline’s most recent album, Different Talking, was released in June of 2025. The album presents a more mature sound while still holding on to the simple, yet hard-hitting lyrics of her earlier works. That album, however, was not the focus of the evening. Instead, Kline and the band transported the Empty Bottle to 2016, filling the venue with nostalgia and the soul-searching musings of being a twenty-something. She celebrated the tenth anniversary of her album, Next Thing, by playing it front to back. The sweet and self-referential lyrics of “Outside with the Cuties” are beautifully simple yet filled with profound depth. Kline sings “You move towards me, and I love you… I haven't finished this song yet / Will you help me fix it?” followed by light and dreamy synths. This song felt very special to hear live, creating a warm, wistful atmosphere in the audience. In contrast, the upbeat and witty lyrics of “I’m 20” got the crowd jumping and “ooh”-ing along. Singing songs written at twenty-two a decade later was a full-circle moment. Kline did not disappoint with her vocal abilities, sounding the same as she did in her recorded versions.
The intimate setting of the Empty Bottle added to the warm emotions of the evening, with the audience singing along to every song. Kline added to the nostalgia factor by pointing out that the guitar and bass she played on stage were from her childhood, when she was just starting to learn music. Her charming personality also created some silly moments, like calling the Empty Bottle just “The Bottle”, going so far as to coin the phrase “That’s So Bottle”. Don’t be surprised if that expression pops up in Chicago and New York’s music scenes.