Album Review: Frances Quinlan - 'Likewise'

Frances Quinlan has a new solo album coming out and if the name Hop Along means anything to you then you’d be wise to check it out. Hop Along, originally intended as Quinlan’s solo project, is a wildly unique take on indie rock and it’s Quinlan’s unique songwriting and delivery that makes them this. 

Quinlan’s new solo album, Likewise, will be immediately familiar to fans from it’s opening track Piltdown Man. A strange sample of families talking and shouting echoes in the background while a dirty synth chimes. Quinlan’s voice, with it’s signature off kilter rhymes and rhythms, lilts overtop. Your Reply follows, acoustic guitars, piano and wobbling keys guide us in until a drum kit comes in on the right side to drive along the chorus. The lyrics throughout paint a picture of one sided communication. It’s a quaint little track that sits well in the tracklisting.

Rare Thing opens up more synthetic than the tracks before it. A crunchy beat keeps us moving through arpeggiating synths. The chorus waltzes back and forth with a bass guitar and the beat dance around each other in such an infectious way. The second verse sees the arrival of more guitars, making for a more organic feel. Towards the end the beat is replaced by a drum kit but the track keeps going strong. Rare Thing is a perfect little pop song with all the drive and bounce you could want, wrapped up in a unique aesthetic

Skipping forward a track we get the intimate A Secret. It opens so whisper soft that it could have been recorded in a cupboard. An acoustic guitar plays timidly while a Bass tip toes down the middle while Quinlan’s voice lilts through the opening verse before opening up in the choruses. It’s a hypnotic song to hear. It’s an acoustic track with lyrics that touch on emotional subjects but it’s still joyous in many ways. Went To LA follows with a somewhat similar opening but harps soon join the track. Guitars slide and build and add another layer. Quinlan’s voice raises and the sound of the room comes through in a beautiful way. It’s a joy to listen to, the outro with it’s shouted vocals repeating till the end just tops it off.

Now That I’m Back is the album’s penultimate track, beginning with a quivering guitar line but soon blossoming into something much bigger. Acoustics strum steady to build tension around the keys. A brief release and we build again before bursting into a synth filled chorus. A steady drum beat drives the chorus while Quinlan’s vocals play between themselves. The track is easily a favourite on the record for me along with closer Carry The Zero. Starting sparse, the track is soon intruded upon by various screeching, distorted guitars. These are pushed out by a fun little synth and crushed drum beat that provides forward momentum. As the backing vocals that intertwine in complicated yet satisfying ways shows, it’s a track with lots of little details. As the track continues on we’re treated to glitchy backing vocals and a lush instrumental with warbling delays. 

Likewise is such an interesting record for me, one that I imagine I’ll sit and listen to for months to come. The instrumentals have this wonderful quality that sits somewhere between Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi, making them feel so familiar. The production is untethered in a way that allows for more interesting choices and ear candy aplenty. The more distorted, raucous sounds from Hop Along work their way in alongside the synths and assorted additional instrumentation in a very complementary way. Above everything sits Quinlan’s voice in it’s entirely unique style, singing lines that describe the mundane in such a beautiful way. Everything comes together perfectly to make the sort of record you can really sit with and get deep into. 

Words by Nathan Blackstone

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