Next Thing
by Frankie Cosmos
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. Pitchfork
    Apr 1, 2016
    85
    Many of the songs ("Embody," "On the Lips," "Too Dark" and "Sleep Song") on the album have appeared in acoustic permutations in past work, and they make the leap seamlessly. Each are marvelously well-wrought trains of thought, cramming existential questions into the banality of everyday moments and finding something beatific even in the plainest of things.
  2. Pretty Much Amazing
    Apr 1, 2016
    83
    Next Thing truly is beautiful, if a little too slight to be counted among the greats in its genre. It doesn’t seem to strive for that type of greatness, though. It’s content to revel in purely being, basking in its own breathless embodiment of grace and lightness.
  3. Consequence
    Apr 1, 2016
    83
    In under 30 minutes, Next Thing proves that honesty can go a long way, and vulnerability, contrary to its temporariness, goes even longer.
  5. Clash Music
    May 27, 2016
    80
    For all its touching and personal lyrical matter, Next Thing undoubtedly boasts improved production and more developed song-structures, as well as a more fluid use of warm synths and punchy snare drums.
  6. Record Collector
    Apr 22, 2016
    80
    A matured yet playful execution, Kline takes the struggles of being a young woman in the modern world and transforms them into stripped-back offerings that--despite the scarcity of instrumentation and simple song structures--leave a strong impression.
  7. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 5, 2016
    80
    Next Thing is an honest but beautified version of the mixed-up life of a city kid. The most interesting thing moving forward will be seeing how Kline's songwriting approach shifts shape.
  8. Spin
    Apr 4, 2016
    80
    The group [her band] gives Kline’s ideas depth without ever bogging her down. Smith’s keyboard playing replaces the bizarre synth flourishes on 2015 mini-EP Fit Me In with an understated sound that mirrors the warm, delicate quality of Kline’s voice. Kline’s songwriting is more nuanced, too.
  9. No Ripcord
    Apr 1, 2016
    80
    There are additions to her guitar-pop foundation here, but they’re mostly limited to the occasional keyboard line or an anomaly like the dreamy synth outro of Outside with the Cuties. Met on its own terms, however, it’s a record that plays entirely to Kline’s strengths and confirms her as a worthy successor to the legacy of indie modesty.
  10. The New York Times
    Apr 1, 2016
    80
    Ms. Kline’s songs don’t last long, and neither does her imagery, but she can be exceptional at capturing how quickly frail things can break, taking devastating turns in just a couple of lines.
  11. AllMusic
    Apr 1, 2016
    80
    On an album that, from a musical perspective, seems incongruously loaded with self-doubt ("I'm 20, washed up already," "I don't know what I'm cut out for") the material is consistently hooky, endearing, elegant, and uncommonly candid.
  12. DIY Magazine
    Apr 1, 2016
    80
    There are no answers, no solutions to any problems, and no gateway doors through escapism, but for half an hour the record shines a light through confusion, and just for a while, it doesn’t have to feel like such a loss to be lost.
  13. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 11, 2016
    70
    Ironically it improves with age, so pop it on little and often--most tracks are around 90 seconds anyway--and let it grow on you.
  14. Under The Radar
    Apr 7, 2016
    70
    That heart on the sleeve, a stripped-down band that doesn't get in the way, and Cosmos' very cozy kinship with melody are what make this latest next thing as uplifting, unassuming, and utilitarian a collection of pop as the last, even as Cosmos continues to refine her craft.
  15. Rolling Stone
    Apr 4, 2016
    70
    Next Thing shows that as the group continues to grow up, Kline's clear-eyed observation and youthful disaffection only feel more vital.
  16. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Apr 4, 2016
    70
    Next Thing moves.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 30 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. All_ButTrU4
    Jun 26, 2021
    8
    Simple,poetic and short.a praise poem to the mundane written through the childlike lense of easy amazement. Not a single moment spared.Simple,poetic and short.a praise poem to the mundane written through the childlike lense of easy amazement. Not a single moment spared. Favourites:Too Dark,Embody, On The Lips,O Dreaded C Town.… Full Review »
  2. vaineratom
    Nov 25, 2020
    8
    The album's use of language is amazing. It reads like a carefully constructed poem that doesn't take itself too seriously.

    The songs focus    The album's use of language is amazing. It reads like a carefully constructed poem that doesn't take itself too seriously.

    The songs focus on what appears to be very trivial moments, such as "Outside with Cuties" where we are taken to a group gathering in nature at night where " Your eyes reflect the greenish moon" shows the beauty in the authors crush at the gathering in time, the poetic language helps to show how there is beauty in everything.

    The only thing that is stopping it from being a 9 or 10 is that some of the songs are from previous albums by Greta Klein, such as The Love Rind and Affirms Glinting but are remastered in Next Thing. Nothing wrong with including past tracks in new albums but it makes the Album more of a portfolio of
    Greta's finest making it more of a "best of" album instead of an entirely new piece that can be examined alone.

    It makes a good starting point for Greta's past and present work and I would recommend checking out Love Rind, Affirms Glinting, and Zentropy which also display an amazing sense of voice and identity.    … Full Review »
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