Beverly
Careers (Kanine)

Frankie Rose made a name for herself as a member of fuzzy bands like Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and Crystal Stilts, but her last couple of solo records found her cleaning up her sound in favour of sleek, shimmering pop. Beverly, on the other hand—which is Rose’s latest endeavour with frequent collaborator Drew Citron—finds Rose once again employing rough-around-the-edges arrangements filled with stormy distortion and murky reverb.

Although Beverly is primarily Citron’s project, Careers sounds like classic Rose. This much becomes clear 10 seconds into opening cut “Madora”, when lushly layered harmonies float sweetly atop overdriven strumming before the song shifts into Pixies-esque repetitions of the title word.

The juxtaposition of noisy guitars and pop-friendly melodies proves to be the band’s greatest strength, and the best songs here are the ones that most dramatically emphasize this contrast. In particular, “Honey Do” centres around a ferociously grungy chord progression, while the ascending chorus is the album’s catchiest moment. Similarly, second-half standout “You Can’t Get It Right” careens between ominous surf-noir riffs, honey-dipped verses, and hair-raising chorus hooks.

While Citron is pressing ahead with this new band, Rose has already returned to her solo career, and Beverly’s Facebook page no longer lists her as a member. Still, Careers proves that Rose is still a dependable source of infectious, summery fuzz-pop, and this bodes well for whatever project she undertakes next.