How better to close out a year that saw the triumphant return of Frog with the fantastic full-length GROG than to celebrate how the New York outfit got to where they are today? We invited Jamie Halliday from Audio Antihero back to give us the lowdown on all the gems and sleeper hits from the Frog oeuvre in a new two-part feature. The ideal Christmas gift for any Frog fanatic in your life, or indeed a newcomer looking for a primer.
Here’s the first part, where Jamie shares what they consider to be the notable tracks which elevated Frog towards their undeniable cult status.
As the self-owner of Audio Antihero Records, I’ve been a semi-professional Frog fan since the release of Kind of Blah in 2015 (and I was a freak for the self-titled before that). I’ve been able to watch the band’s sound and style shift and evolve while their audience has grown and diversified. It has been a real privilege.
Frog’s trajectory has been strange. There have been long (and unavoidable) gaps between releases, and a sparse schedule of live events has prevented Frog from really capitalising on the interest and momentum that each release has created. It generally just hasn’t been possible to get the next record out within a year or to play a heap of shows in new towns while Frog is fresh in the memory of new fans.
Each album has been totally different too. While I see the second album as an evolution of the first, that original all-or-nothing sound isn’t something I think a band can re-learn. If that brilliant self-titled was your Frog then perhaps what came next wasn’t? For a lot of people though, Kind of Blah was a realisation of their potential, it was the one that we’re fortunate to know David Berman was a fan of.
Having been acclaimed for expanding their sound in 2015, they stripped it down again for Whatever We Probably Already Had It (Bateman calls it “the emo record”). Then the line-up was halved, and Frog “went country” for Count Bateman, which for the last four years was a lot of people’s introduction to Frog—so in many cases, that’s their favourite. I found out recently that some newer fans haven’t even heard the earlier records, which barely computes for me, but of course, it makes all the sense in the world outside of my hyper fixation bubble.
Regardless of absences and sonic shifts, Frog’s audience has grown with each record. They seem to have a unique ability to connect with an audience so that enough of it won’t forget Frog when they have to go away for a while. They also seem to have earned the trust of their fans where it’s not so much an “I like the fast songs” or “I like the country ones” type—some people just really appreciate Frog in their totality.
It’s still early but the response for GROG has been pretty fucking good. There’s been a lot of Frog firsts from places like Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Bandcamp Daily; it has kinda ruled seeing them top the Hype Machine charts. It’s wild that they were the top debut in the college radio chart on top of national airplay in Europe and even support from National Public Radio stations like KCRW, WUTC, and WRUR. This is the stuff I always wanted to happen, and it has felt good to get some of it.
I’ve never been able to predict what Frog will do next, so I definitely can’t say what their audience will do either. Who will stay, and who is passing through? I have no idea. But since interest in Frog is as high as it’s ever been, it seemed like a good time to put together a few of what I think are Frog’s heavy hitters for those of you who are new residents of Frognation.
Songs like ‘Judy Garland’ and ‘You Know I’m Down’ are pretty undeniable with their million-plus streams. I’d have to include them even if I didn’t want to. Then you have songs like ‘Rubbernecking’ and ‘Nancy Kerrigan’ (the very first Frog song) from their debut which brought myself and the great Gold Flake Paint music site aboard (and without wanting to brag, I think we made a difference in the early stages of Frog’s career).
‘American‘ (as premiered by Various Small Flames) and ‘Black Friday’ were the two big Hype Machine hits, helping to bring in new supporters from the blogosphere that has always been central to this scrappy group’s success.
When it comes to ‘Photograph’ and ‘All Dogs Go to Heaven’, I just went with my heart on what songs I think are the most powerful. These songs were important to my journey with Frog.
This isn’t a definitive list: it’s just a few of my favourites, which I hope offer newer fans a broad introduction to each album and era. I can’t tell you what “the Best of Frog” should be to you, and I hope you’ll make your own playlists too–but as someone who has been around for much of the ride, it’s a real pleasure to share some of the Frog songs that still ring every bell in my silly bimbo brain.
Welcome to the party, pal. Please stay as long as you like, but if you leave, don’t tell me where you’re going.
Keep an eye on Various Small Flames for part two, as I will be back soon to share a second feature of my recommendations for Frog songs that have fallen a little under the radar. Let’s ride until the wheels fall off. Frog’s “GROG” is out now. I hope you love it.
Photos by Collin Heroux