frown line – Only If You Want

Montreal-based indie rock quartet frown line returns with “Only If You Want,” out today via Lauren Records.

“Only If You Want” is a song that pushes and pulls the feeling of trying to conform yourself to fit in someone else’s life. The song is packed with heavy instrumentals and follows roundabout trains of thought while trying to make sense of something that is probably more worth letting go of.

The song is the final track on frown line’s What’s Leftover CD – a complete discography compilation – now available via Lauren Records. Starting with songwriter Annika Devlin’s first singles “September” and “Tired of Always Getting Older”, and her debut EP Come Around (all made in her childhood bedroom with the help of local Ottawa producer Michael Watson), as well as recent singles “Anyway,” “Days Without,” and “Only If You Want” recorded as a 4-piece band in Montreal. The track list truly follows the entirety of songwriter Devlin’s journey of making music under the moniker frown line.

What began as Annika’s 2020 bedroom 4-track demos has grown into a full-bodied Montreal foursome: Devlin (guitar/vocals), Juan Jimenez (bass), Owen Viragos (guitar), and Lucy Grant (drums). Their sound stitches jangly hooks to squalling feedback, pairing Devlin’s deceptively upbeat melodies with lyrics that sit “secretly sad” beneath the surface.

#frownline