The Frauds | en

Rock is more than a four-letter word, it is a message, a statement to which many bands attest to doing, but only a handful of them succeed. The Frauds are one of them. Yes, their name might suggest that they're a group of fakes, but they are not. They claim to bring the rock, and boy, do they ever.

Their self-titled debut, originally self-released in 2004, was a homage to their influences: Superdrag, The Who, Guided By Voices, Teenage Fanclub, you name it. Where one song might sound like DIY indie rock, the next can have the appeal of arena rock proportions. With their new album, Hiding Out Loud, the band continues the ethos brought forth on their debut, while branching out and exploring new horizons once untouched.

Where the band concoct the same formula as their debut on the lead-off track "Nothing To Say" or the deep cut "I Can See The Light," they branch out and expand with the Beach Boys-esque laden harmonies of "Palm Tree Baby." Grand scales of piano and mellotron give you comfort in "Asphalt Dunegon," and the acoustic guitars wash all the pain away in "Roundtown Rose," while also balancing Loud's ferocious at times demeanor. And lest we forget the bass grooves and barking vocal that make up "Strawberry Soul", a melody that will be trapped in your mind for days.

Louder. Softer. However you want them. The Frauds are back.

The Frauds are based out of Baltimore, MD, home of Frank Zappa and
David Hasselhoff (their two biggest influences). Rick Bowman (guitar, piano, vocals) teams up with brothers Emerson: Eric (bass, vocals) and Ernie Jr. (drums, wrenches) and new addition Jonny Watkins (guitar) to carve out their space among the new legion of DIY indie rockers in the digital age.
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