Write an Album with Frankie Cosmos for Their Latest Project, An Induced Album

Frankie Cosmos are practicing giving up control for their next album: They’ve shared a set of instructions for An Induced Album, a new way to create a collaborative LP. Each track has a set of handwritten instructions that range from fill in the blanks to mad-libs style improvisation.

“The instructions vary in form. Some might be easier for people who play an instrument, some can hopefully be done by anyone who sets their mind to it,” writes Greta Kline. “For me, this project is an exercise in giving up control. Once I put it out there, what happens with it is entirely up to you. There are no ultimate versions of these songs, only infinite versions.”

A press release further expands on the project’s origins:

Loosely inspired by conceptual artist, Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, Frankie Cosmos front person Greta Kline has created An Induced Album. Moved by the idea that LeWitt’s artwork can still be installed in new forms even after his death, Kline sought to create a version of this for her songwriting. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever made that I feel is incomplete until it is out in the world” says Kline. “Releasing recorded music is great, but I have never felt an excitement quite like this one— that once I release this, it really changes what it is. It’s not done until the audience participates, which really excites me (or actually, maybe it’s never “done”). It’s also very out of my control once I release it, unlike a finished recorded album, so that’s scary, but fun.”

Frankie Cosmos also ask participants to complete the album artwork with whatever they’d like. Klein shares that she’s not sure yet what will become of the different versions of the album, but that she hopes to gather them in a compilation of sorts. Check out the full list of instructions here.

Vessel, Klein’s third studio album as Frankie Cosmos, was released in March and supporting tour dates were announced yesterday—find those here.