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Likewise (Frances Quinlan album)

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2020 album

Likewise
Studio album by Frances Quinlan
ReleasedJanuary 31, 2020 (2020-01-31)
StudioHeadroom (Philadelphia)
GenreIndie rock
LabelSaddle Creek
ProducerJoe Reinhart, Frances Quinlan
Singles from Likewise
  1. "Rare Thing"
    Released: October 22, 2019
  2. "Now That I'm Back"
    Released: November 19, 2019
  3. "Your Reply"
    Released: 2020

Likewise is the debut studio album by Frances Quinlan of Hop Along. It was released on January 31, 2020, by Saddle Creek Records.

Style and lyrics

The album makes use of strings, keyboards, piano, slide guitar and unorthodox percussion instruments.

Lyrically, Quinlan's lyrics on Likewise are much more personal in nature as opposed to the narrative style of their work on Hop Along albums. They elaborated, "I’ve tried to be an omniscient narrator, but I suppose I am in that chapter of life where it doesn’t feel truthful for me at the moment".

Background and production

Quinlan in 2012

Likewise is Frances Quinlan's first solo album under their own name. They had earlier released a solo album, Freshman Year, as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis, in 2005. Quinlan recorded Likewise with Joe Reinhart, a bandmate from Hop Along. They felt that the recording experience opened their instrumentation palette beyond the guitar and made them a more adventurous collaborator. New instruments in their repertoire include strings, autoharp, and synthesizers.

The album's tracks “A Secret” and “Went To LA” were originally written in 2013 and recorded for Bark Your Head Off, Dog. However, because the album was getting "too long", and because Quinlan felt the songs already felt "pretty complete" in their stripped-down forms, the tracks were cut from the album and used on Likewise.

Quinlan created the album's cover art.

Release and promotion

Saddle Creek announced the record in October 2019 for a January 31, 2020, release. The lead single, "Rare Thing", accompanied the announcement. Based on a dream about their infant niece, the song explores the ability to love generously. Likewise's second single, "Now That I'm Back", followed the next month. The song addresses the long road of learning to compromise in a romantic relationship. Quinlan released "Your Reply", a celebratory song about nearly understanding someone, early in January 2020. The album's last song, a cover of Built to Spill's "Carry the Zero", is a favorite of Quinlan's, often played in their solo sets and soundchecks.

A limited edition release of the album on colored vinyl included autographed artwork. A promotional tour for the album is set to run from January to March 2020.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10
Metacritic83/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Consequence of SoundB+
DIY
Exclaim!6/10
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10
Paste8.9/10
Pitchfork7.7/10
The Skinny
Under the Radar7/10

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 83, based on 12 reviews. The album was one of Pitchfork's most anticipated in 2020.

Accolades

Accolades for Likewise
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2020 24
Paste Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year 23
Rolling Stone Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year —
Stereogum Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year 36

Track listing

Likewise track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Piltdown Man"Frances Quinlan3:15
2."Your Reply"Frances Quinlan4:19
3."Rare Thing"Frances Quinlan3:30
4."Detroit Lake"Frances Quinlan3:22
5."A Secret"Frances Quinlan4:40
6."Went to LA"Frances Quinlan3:56
7."Lean"Frances Quinlan3:51
8."Now That I'm Back"Frances Quinlan3:18
9."Carry the Zero" (Built to Spill cover)Doug Martsch4:23
Total length:34:34

See also

References

  1. ^ Martoccio, Angie (October 22, 2019). "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan Announces Debut Solo LP, Drops New Song 'Rare Thing'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  2. Gonzalez, Sean (January 27, 2020). "Interview: Frances Quinlan Dances Through Stories & Emotional Connections On 'Likewise'". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2024. That's why there's a wide variety of sounds contorting through the mix of songs. "Detroit Lake" has strings delicately crying behind a keyboard, with Quinlan finding herself in a mess of questions. "Carry The Zero" has a multitude of percussion instruments contributing to the staccato stream-of-consciousness vocals.
  3. Spruch, Kirsten (January 31, 2020). "How Frances Quinlan's Songwriting 'Chaos' Created One of the Year's Best Indie Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2024. once we realized that BYHOD was going to be too long — with all 11 songs on it — I talked to the band, and everyone was cool with the idea of me taking two songs that were pretty much solo anyway. Tyler Long plays bass and piano on "A Secret," and Joe Reinhart plays slide guitar on "Went To LA," but otherwise, they stayed really close to the forms I brought in to the studio anyway.
  4. Gonzalez, Sean (January 27, 2020). "Interview: Frances Quinlan Dances Through Stories & Emotional Connections On 'Likewise'". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2024. "I've tried to be an omniscient narrator, but I suppose I am in that chapter of life where it doesn't feel truthful for me at the moment," Quinlan says. In this way, the listeners are engaging with her as she sings, and she is seeking their openness in embracing the conversation. The considerable amount of thoughtfulness that breathes in Likewise gives the album a human quality, as evidenced on "Rare Thing." The dreamlike textures of atmosphere allow Quinlan's voice to powerfully admit that it's okay to be happy.
  5. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (October 22, 2019). "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan Announces Debut Solo Album, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  6. Ross, Alex Robert (October 22, 2019). "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan shares new song 'Rare Thing,' announces debut album". The Fader. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  7. Spruch, Kirsten (January 31, 2020). "How Frances Quinlan's Songwriting 'Chaos' Created One of the Year's Best Indie Albums". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2024. Two of the songs from Likewise, "A Secret" and "Went To LA," were initially recorded for Bark Your Head Off, Dog in 2017. However, I started writing those songs in 2013, so they were very old. I've written songs that the band collaborates on and arranges and edits together but then there's always one or two songs that really, in their first form, feel pretty complete. Songs like "Happy To See Me" and "Some Grace" are two examples of that. Aside from the addition of one more guitar or harp, the songs feel pretty complete in their initial forms. So once we realized that BYHOD was going to be too long — with all 11 songs on it — I talked to the band, and everyone was cool with the idea of me taking two songs that were pretty much solo anyway.
  8. Lorusso, Marissa (October 22, 2019). "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan Announces First Album Under Own Name, Shares 'Rare Thing'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  9. Hussey, Allison (November 19, 2019). "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan Shares New Song 'Now That I'm Back': Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  10. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 10, 2020). "Song You Need to Know: Frances Quinlan, 'Your Reply'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  11. Vettese, John (October 22, 2019). "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan searches for a pure love on her debut solo single 'Rare Thing'". WXPN. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  12. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  13. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  14. Donelson, Marcy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  15. Taub, Matthew (February 3, 2020). "Frances Quinlan Shines Solo on the Scintillating Likewise". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  16. Tipple, Ben (January 30, 2020). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  17. Mughal, Alisha (January 30, 2020). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  18. Lynch, Ben (January 28, 2020). "Frances Quinlan has never sounded more free than on debut solo record Likewise". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  19. Edelston, Steven (February 6, 2020). "Jagged Pieces Form a Beautiful Whole on Frances Quinlan's Likewise". Paste. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  20. Pelly, Jean (February 5, 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  21. Cutforth, Katie (January 28, 2020). "The Skinny Review". The Skinny. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  22. Moody, Mark (February 3, 2020). "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  23. "The 39 Most Anticipated Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  24. "Top 50 Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  25. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Paste. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  26. Schwartz, Danny (June 17, 2020). "50 Best Albums of 2020 – So Far". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  27. "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.

External links

Hop Along
Frances Quinlan
Albums
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