This week in Freak Scene, Ciarra Fragale tries something different on her new LP, while Perennial make every second count on their latest album. Plus, Flo Fest is Saturday!

Not only does Ciarra Fragale have the restless creative drive to keep reinventing how she makes music, the North Adams musician has the chops to match. She started with a distinctive alt-pop sound on Call It What You Will in 2019, moved to a torchy vibe on her self-titled 2021 album and then delved into synth-pop on Get What You Want in 2025 (covered in Freak Scene #67), each of which centered in different ways around her clear, strong voice. Fragale pushes herself even further on her latest, Digital Bath, which is a collection of ambient music.

Ciarra FragaleDigital Bath

Fragale recorded the six tracks live, in the moment, improvising with a guitar, effects pedals and a Fender Princeton Reverb amplifier. Three tracks feature collaborators — guitarist Dan O’Connell is on two, and the poet and writer Maghan Baptiste “turns knobs and presses buttons” on one, “Maghan’s Here,” which is also the only track that features vocals. The rest comprises sounds and textures that are meditative, and easy to get lost in. That’s entirely the point: “This record is definitely meant to ‘just be put on,’” Fragale says by email.

Themes occasionally emerge from the drift: there’s a vaguely Arabian part rippling through dreamy layers of sound on “In the Cabin,” while Fragale and O’Connell duet on guitar with hypnotic repeating figures on “Sunday on the Porch with Dan, Part 1.” If the effects pedals mask the sound of the guitar on much of Digital Bath, the part that opens “Nexus” sounds like just what it is: a trebly, repeating loop that is soon backed with another part that sounds like a sitar. “People Are Talking” feels like a blending of elements from other tracks, with swelling guitar and thuds of percussion eventually blending into an enveloping sonic texture with string noise and swirls of eastern-tinged scales.

“Maghan’s Here,” the track with vocals, could have been two separate pieces. The first half consists of a repeating 10-second instrumental loop that evolves subtly before cutting out entirely in favor of a twitchy electronic beat and effects-treated vocals from Fragale and Baptiste. Some of the lyrics find tongue-in-cheek rhymes with “bath” (Sylvia Plath, path, math), but Fragale also mentions “cleansing our auras in the digital bath,” and that’s just what this album feels like: a way of clearing out some of the clutter in your mind to make room for whatever comes next.

Perennial Return With ‘Modernism’

Mod-punk trio Perennial today release their ferocious new LP Modernism. I reviewed the album for Paste, which of course hasn’t yet posted it at the time I’m writing. So, I’ll add a link to the archived version of this newsletter once the review goes up. In the meantime, here’s the gist:

PerennialModernism

“Pressing play on a Perennial album has a lot in common with lighting a fuse: it means an explosion is imminent. The title track that opens the New England trio’s latest, Modernism, features about four seconds of keyboard noise and guitar sizzle before the drums kick in, the guitar riff detonates, and the whole song ripples outward like a blast wave. Yet for all their punk volatility, Perennial have a deceptively intricate approach to songwriting, which is all the more impressive considering that even with 10 tracks, Modernism tops out at 20 minutes (“long-player” is a relative term here). They make the most of it, building concise arrangements out of multiple musical elements with an elegance you don’t always find in loud, fast music.”

Upcoming Concerts

The Iron Horse hosts Briston Maroney Nov. 11 (tickets), "Funksgiving" the night before Thanksgiving with Beau Sasser, Jerry Cortez, Paul Antunes and Nate Fuller (tickets), instrumentalist Jean-Michel Blais Jan. 14 (tickets) and singer-songwriter Gabe Dixon Feb. 9 (tickets).

Visa problems have prompted the Drake in Amherst to reschedule a show by Ghanian highlife musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley to April 23; tickets transfer automatically. Gold Dust debut a new band lineup Oct. 16 to mark singer Stephen Pierce's birthday (tickets), with Stella Kola and Miles Hewitt. Also coming: Eliza McLamb Dec. 4 (tickets), Soggy Po' Boys Feb. 4 (tickets), interdisciplinary composer Mary Prescott Feb. 18 (tickets), Duo Karolina & Iwo Feb. 28 (tickets) and Seraph Brass March 14 (tickets).

The Marigold Theater in Easthampton presents Oregon "savage folk" singer Arthur Buezo Oct. 2 (tickets).

The Space Ballroom in Hamden hosts Tune-Yards Nov. 16 (tickets), Racecourse Nov. 20 (tickets), Lily Seabird Dec. 7 (tickets) and the Lemonheads Feb. 6 (tickets).

This Week’s Shows

The big one is this weekend’s Flo Fest, featuring bands, food, art and games around downtown Florence. Ten musical acts, including the Unlucky Shots, bobbie and Olivia Nied, are scheduled to perform from 4-8 p.m. between the Aurora Stage at Florence Towing and the Firefly Stage at JJ’s Tavern. Meanwhile, the Florence Community Band opens the Milky Way Stage at Brick Mill Square. Flo Fest is the successor to Florence Night Out, which didn’t return after 2022’s event. Find more information and the full schedule here.

The full concert calendar is available here for paid subscribers. That it for this week. Thank you for reading! Previous issues are available in the online archive. Freak Scene is free, but donations help make this happen and are gratefully accepted. If you’re able, please consider a paid subscription!