Somewhere between Elliott Smith, Paul Simon, and the DIY punk scene that's formed over the last twenty years is where you'll find Frankie Tillo's music. "our hopes sold as debt" is an EP that began by picking up the pieces of musical aspirations shared by Frank, Jake, Jens, and Shad. Featuring alternate takes of songs that appear on "These Songs Will Melt", these tracks were recorded and played live for the next year and a half with Jens Kuross, Jake Marchus, Shadrach Tuck, and Shaun Scrivner. Tracks 3 and 6 capture spontaneous moments caught between takes or during technical troubleshoots—snapshots of a time when the group was very active, playing and touring.

About the live experience and the work, artist Teal Gardner writes: "I liked being in that tense and precious zone though as a fly on the wall. The music these people are making in this band and individually is all so stunning. It is so special to get to see them play live, there is never a 'repeat' show, they always retain a feeling of freshness and exploration... I always leave a Frankie show feeling like—a renewed sense of the power of art to articulate sayable and unsayable things, and a genuine sense that he cares about the audience, his bandmates, and the sphere we share. I'm so grateful that these songs are being made and sung here, in a town that so desperately needs to sing to understand its delicate and fickle territories, the weird shimmers in its fleeting magic and the doominess that lingers in the periphery. It is hard to be an artist making art here, and living here. I'm grateful for this album and all the work and experience that went into making it."