Best Band to Break Up

Frankie Teardrop

Three years ago, Frankie Teardrop was named City Pages’ Best New Band. At first, the act was a persona-driven vehicle for singer-songwriter Jordan Bleau, who put together FT’s first record, Tough Guy, entirely by himself. Frankie T. would soon become a full band, and with fuzzy and infectious garage-punk, they proceeded to create some of the most exciting rock in the Twin Cities. They were essentially a Minnesota answer to fiery West Coast garage-rockers like Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees, remaining prolific through last year’s Hell Yep LP. Unfortunately, it would be Frankie’s swan song. “This is as far as this band needs to go and this album is what this band should sound like,” their breakup announcement on Facebook read. Bleau quickly launched a new solo project, Cheap Fantasy, and joined Minneapolis band Wild Firth. He briefly resurrected Frankie Teardrop to drop a new song on Bandcamp, coinciding with the site’s pledge to donate all February 3 proceeds to the ACLU.