Frankie White, 'brain dead'

(Self-released, digital) The standard trajectory of an on-the-rise Vermont singer-songwriter goes like this: A youngster from a small town makes some waves locally, spends a few years building buzz, and then departs for college or a bigger market than the Green Mountains can offer. From locally beloved songwriters such as Francesca Blanchard to breakout stars like Noah Kahan, it's a pattern we've seen repeated over and over. Colchester native Frankie White is following her own game plan. The 24-year-old returned to Vermont in 2022 after attending Loyola University New Orleans. While in college, she performed on the southern tour circuit, honing her chops in bands. Back home, White wasted no time before immersing herself in the local scene, releasing a raw yet promising EP, Short Fuse. She assembled live band Frankie & the Fuse, indulging her alt-rock tendencies, and soon locked down a weekly residency at Red Square in Burlington. On her latest release, brain dead, White levels up. Recorded and mixed by New Orleans musician Mars Cooper, the four-song EP benefits from fuller production that allows White's sophisticated songwriting to shine. The title track harks to White's indie-pop roots. Over a vamping piano and soft-rock backing, she roasts an ex: "Ooh, I made it clear / Why don't you disappear?" A sharp edge glistens beneath the EP's gentle production, and one gets a sense that the band might perform these songs louder and maybe even faster live. But restraint serves the project well. Cooper keeps the focus on White's vocals, putting the singer front and center in the mix, where she belongs. Her voice has a timeless appeal, and it's thankfully lacking some of the modern-day singer-songwriter vocal tropes — there's no "baby voice" singing here. "crab" is the EP's ballad, a shimmery, piano-driven lament that features White harmonizing with herself to gorgeous effect. "I'm stuck, I'm sliding through some quicksand," she sings. "And you're an inch away / But say you don't have a hand." In a 2023 interview with local nonprofit Big Heavy World on the radio show "Rocket Shop," White named Radiohead and Death Cab for Cutie as inspirations. She channels the former influence on "ugly," vamping on a B minor chord and recalling the British band's "Exit Music (for a Film)" before moving back toward the piano balladry of more contemporary heroes such as English singer-songwriter Birdy. White deploys that intriguing combination of styles…