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Frogmouth
Identity Thief
It has been noted that we seem to have moved into an era where bands aren’t that important anymore, or at least they aren’t very present in the zeitgeist. There are a lot of reasons for this - the accessibility of recording gear, the increasingly dystopian economic realities of both the industry and life in general, and our fragmented internet-age sense of the value of doing things together.
And to be clear, there is a lot of truly amazing art being created by solo artists working from home in their spare time. But when you hear something like the new Frogmouth album Identity Thief you know instantly that what you’re hearing is the product of an actual band. And the result is exhilarating.
From the first explosive moments of leadoff track “Easy Lies” the chemistry of this Austin, TX ensemble is undeniable, and it carries us through a breathless 9 song manifesto on the vitality of full-band modern rock music in 2025.
We first got to know Frogmouth on their 2023 EP Humor Me and particularly through a pair of kick-ass singles.
“Bad at Talking” - in addition to just being endearingly relatable for many of us - veers towards NOFX territory, while “Not Listening” sounds like a fusion of The Clash and Rush. Both sound undeniably like Frogmouth, though.
At every turn we encounter Frogmouth’s punk sensibilities fortified by a number of healthy appreciations for the value of a killer riff, doubled or harmonized guitar lines, everybody pitching in on the vocal work, the sanctity of the guitar solo, dynamic variation, and more. This is the sound of a band that’s been fine tuning its sound on stage, in front of crowds.
If the previous EP was tantalizing and full of great moments, Identity Thief feels like a band fully realizing its chemistry and potential, and the result is an album that’s as tight and impressive as it is sonically diverse.
The range of influences you can hear on this record is a testament to the advantages of having a band full of people pitching in. On the opener “Easy Lies” you can hear a bit of Cheap Trick. A few tracks later, the lovely “Strays” zig zags between a classic prog vibe and radio-friendly alternative rock, with a bridge that encapsulates the skill of these composers for building lush arrangements that use every voice and instrument to squeeze the most out of their melodic ideas.
“Imposter Syndrome” starts out sounding almost like a Scorpions song, a sort of glam rock stadium anthem that quickly pivots into a dub-inspired verse. By this point in the album, you’ve got a style and sound in your head called “Frogmouth” already - they do such a terrific job of fusing together their influences and their own character that, the next time you hear something of theirs, you’ll know who it is before you even need to check.
“Another Body Count” might win the award for the coolest groove of the record, and is just a killer song in its own right. It sounds to this reviewer like somebody hired Danzig to write a song for Genesis. It’s not often that I find my two favorite songs of an album this far down the track list. But “Another Body Count” and “Oleander” may very well take the cake.
“Oleander” is just beautiful, a bit of a throat clearing from the onslaught of rock we just experienced. The shimmery clean guitars, the buoyant bass line, the desert imagery of the opening verse, it all feels so refreshing and unexpected, but still perfectly coherent with this record.
The first time I heard “the scent of oooooleander” I had the biggest smile on my face and thought, damn, these guys are wonderful.
If you miss rock and roll, if you ever wonder what happened to bands, if you ever need a shot of pure mojo to start your day, or if you want an album that you can fall in love with one track at a time, one that’ll keep serving up new little surprises and joys each time you re-listen, add Identity Thief to your collection.
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