“I was a big fan of Frankmusik’s first album,” recalls Kierszenbaum, “so I jumped at the chance to meet him. It didn’t take long for us to figure out that we both shared a love for progressive pop music, but I remember Frank hard-eying my Yamaha CP-70,” says Kierszenbaum laughing, “so I invited him to play. His extraordinary voice and musicianship instantly filled the room and I knew then it would be an honor to be involved in any way.”
Sure enough, the two began songwriting and producing together and a creative relationship was forged that would lead to Frankmusik joining the roster of Cherrytree Records in the US. Their collaboration would also yield the first single from Do It in the AM: “The Fear Inside” the video for which was shot in downtown Los Angeles.
“’The Fear Inside’ is a song about relieving the pressures and complications of the modern world through the strength of a close and intimate relationship,” explains Frankmusik smiling. “And it wasn’t too bad getting to show that with Natalie [lead actress] in the video.”
Helmed by cutting-edge director Guillaume Doubet (Charlotte Gainsburg, Blaqstarr, Natalia Kills), “The Fear Inside” clip is a gritty look at contemporary life but also a metaphor for Frankmusik’s journey across borders in which initial disorientation leads to creative rebirth.
In other songs from Do It in the AM, Frank expands on that concept and touches on the universal themes of an interconnected world while, at the same time, laying down some floor-burning beats. In the title track, for instance, Frankmusik explores both the communal and isolating aspects of club culture while celebrating the general swagger of late night life. In the instantly appealing “No ID” – a duet with Cherrytree label mate Colette Carr – Frank explores modern romance through rampant, unabashed, late-night party hopping. “Footsteps” is trademark Frankmusik pop: engaging and uplifting with melody and heart simultaneously. “Wrecking Ball” and “We Collide” deal with destructive tendencies in a relationship while “Struck by Lightning” addresses the repercussions. The inevitable break-up and beautiful melody of “No Champagne,” a poignant duet with Natalia Kills, slow-dances between acceptance and regret.
With the new album, Do It in the AM, Frankmusik continues to push himself creatively and evolve a sound he’s pioneered: a mixture of progressive electro-pop, banging club beats and soaring melodies in which personal emotion and dark sonic impulses thrive. As Frankmusik explains, “everything great is always conjured up in the late hours of the night. And, that’s why we do it in the AM.”