FROG - Frog For Sale

An album that could be played just as easily in a basement venue in its native New York as in a concert hall with full-blown sound reproduction, "Frog For Sale" marks a fairly sharp stylistic departure from the band's previous work, moving away from the country and folk leanings toward arrangements built on a strong piano foundation and falsetto harmonies. Worth noting, rather remarkably, is that this is the Bateman brothers' third album in little more than a year.

Not far from the Whitney of “Light Upon The Lake“, “Frog For Sale” embraces the same style that moves from a folk-rock base to a keyboard-driven pop-soul, with groovy, sparkling rhythms (“All The Things You Get”) paired with erotic, conversational lyrics (“Je Ne Sais Pas”).
A highly enjoyable and refreshing result, even if the songs might perhaps demand a different vocal timbre (or other qualities) to stay appealing over time. In that sense, though, the record still has its own eccentric charm, that of a bedroom band suddenly discovering itself as an r'n'b diva. All of it seasoned, of course, with the cosmopolitan, understated allure of a New York band (“Best Buy”, “Stole My Heart”).

Perhaps, then, a record more suited to headphones than speakers, “Frog For Sale” nonetheless carries a certain cloying quality due to its frequent reliance on falsetto. Still, it's a highly inspired and melodically focused album, in this respect perhaps even superior to the excellent “Count Bateman“. A band certainly distinctive and inspired enough to deserve greater attention.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

11/07/2026