Hi, everyone. Brothony Brotano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of this new Frost Children album, SISTER.

Here we have a brand new album of original music from musical chameleons, sibling duo, singers, songwriters, producers, Frost Children. And this record pretty much is another chapter in the rapid and surprising evolution of their music since they started making noise in the underground at the turn of the 2020s, where they were really fighting it out in the hyperpop trenches, experimenting with a variety of different music styles.

That is until they started to break in around 2023 behind their SPEED RUN album, a very short and sweet record packed with all of these electro clash, electro house, and pop bops that somehow felt nostalgic and fresh at the same time. It also really fit in with the prevailing Y2K revivalist trends that were happening then, but in a not so obvious way.

But after building some momentum, suddenly Frost Children pivoted into a confusing, but still entertaining couple of follow-ups. We had the indie rock and twee-pop stylings of Hearth Room, as well as the crazy and amazing crossover EP that they did with Japanese experimental rock sensation, Haru Nemuri.

But with SISTER here, Frost Children are more or less going back to what has worked in the past for them. But also on top of that, maybe reeling the extremity in just a tad for more mass appeal, and I guess you could say there's definitely something to this move. I mean, for one, there is a very good crossover with none other than Kim Petras in this tracklist over here. Frost Children also did some production and are supporting her a bit on her new music. Angel, in the duo, was also featured pretty prominently on the new Danny Brown record. And these two also recently put their names to a remix that they did for EDM sensation 2025, Ninajirachi. (Award winner as well, I should add. She's won some awards.)

Anyway, SISTER may be a confirmation that some of these recent musical sidequests may have been a bit of a premature switch-up, because if anything, I feel like the revival of this 2000's era electronic music and pop that Frost Children built their names on, it's peaking now or at the very least still ongoing.

And through past work, I think Frost Children have proven themselves to be able to put a bolder and more aggressive spin on some of these sounds than certainly their contemporaries are, at least a few of them who are pretty popular at the moment. They also typically bring emo-tinged vocals, pretty good hook game.

I originally went into SISTER months ago with my hopes high, but have had a hard time in listening to this album, finding much of anything that really calls me back to it. Now that the year is coming to a close, I figured it's really time for me to sit down and figure out what exactly it is about this record that isn't quite landing for me. And while I do find the overall sounds and vibe of SISTER to be quite evocative, in fact, a lot of this record feels like I'm browsing a music MySpace page in 2004 with tears welling up in my eyes. I'll also say a lot of the great songwriting ideas and aesthetics that made SPEED RUN work so well also carry over onto this record.

But sometimes the more conventional approach to production and progressions on these tracks leave me feeling like I'm listening to, not so much the left field duo that I was originally intrigued by, but instead like some main stage EDM fest fodder. Either that or tacky 2000s-era dance pop, like on, "Don't make me cry" or "WHAT IS FOREVER FOR".

Even when you do get some electro anthems on this record that do have a decent amount of bite, such as "Falling", for example, subsequent examples get a bit staled out due to the lack of variety and versatility of Frost Children's approach to this sound. I even get a bit of deja vu between "ELECTRIC" as well as "CONTROL", two of the more aggressive, sleazy, rock-tinged songs on the project, that feel like the duo is trying to write two slight versions of the same song. This critique would also extend to the song "Bound2U", if not for its long-winded, slow-burning, acoustic intro that actually builds up to a really great drop.

Speaking of "acoustic," there's also the title track on this record, which is actually really touching ballad about Frost Children's sisterly bond, a meta musical number that goes into their back history a little bit, their connection as artists and as family. It's a great centerpiece for the project. But as this album continues, the lack of adventure serves as a reminder of why this strain of electro, blog house, whatever you want to call it, washed in and out with the tide. I mean, if they were going to bring this sound back, did it need to be so meat and potatoes, is my question.

Now, I wouldn't say the second half of this project is a total loss. We do have the Kim Petras cut, which does have a really great hook on it. Her voice actually does a lot to break the flow of the album up. But going further, "Ralph Lauren", for example, is a track that's fun while it's on, but feels like a near novelty in some respects, much in the same way Benny Benassi's "Satisfaction" is. The song "Blue Eyes" brings more fidget house nostalgia. And again, as the record comes to a close, I just feel like Frost Children aren't experimenting with these sounds as much as they have in the past and are narrowing things almost to a fault.

Given the opportunities for growth and exposure the duo has seen in the last year or so, I don't fault them for wanting to experiment with a record that is a bit more mild and palatable. But milder intentions have led to milder results, which personally are not working for me, and maybe, I would guess, some fans of the duo's past work, which comparatively is quite a bit bolder, which is why I'm feeling a light to decent 6 on this album.

Anthony Fantano, Frost Children, Forever.