Frances Quinlan

Christine Frances Quinlan (born May 7, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and visual artist best known for fronting Philadelphia indie rock band Hop Along. They have painted all the band's album art.[2]

Frances Quinlan
Quinlan in 2018
Quinlan in 2018
Background information
Birth nameChristine Frances Quinlan[1]
Born (1986-05-07) May 7, 1986
OriginNew Jersey, U.S.
Quakertown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
LabelsSaddle Creek
Member ofHop Along

Career

Early life

Quinlan was raised in northern New Jersey and Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and was an active reader in their youth.[3]

Their parents, whom they have described as "big music fans", introduced them to artists such as Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, and The Kinks at an early age.[4] They initially attempted to learn to play the electric guitar at age 13, but became frustrated and gave up. However, after their brother Andrew introduced them to musicians such as Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple, and Lauryn Hill, they revisited the instrument and were more successful. They began songwriting and working on musical projects with their brother.[3][5] They worked as a house painter during this time.[6]

Musical career

In the mid-2000s, Quinlan began a solo acoustic project in college at Maryland Institute College of Art.[7] During this time, they released their debut EP, Songs of the Sea.[3]

Quinlan recorded their first solo album, Freshman Year, under the name Hop Along, Queen Ansleis, in 2005, between their freshman and sophomore years.[8] They distributed the album on burned CDs.[7] After graduation, another brother, Mark, joined them on drums as they continued the project,[9] which was renamed Hop Along.[7] Hop Along's 2015 studio album Painted Shut was widely praised by critics for its "immediacy and emotional depth", led by Quinlan's voice.[9] Quinlan lived in Philadelphia in the mid-2010s, where they wrote the lyrics of the band's next album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog.[9]

Quinlan's debut solo album, Likewise was released on January 31, 2020 through Saddle Creek Records. Hop Along guitarist Joe Reinhart appears on the album performing guitar and bass. Quinlan created the album's cover art, as they have done for every prior album released under Hop Along.[8]

Personal life

Quinlan came out as non-binary through a thread of tweets on January 22, 2021. They revealed that they chose to start going by their middle name after high school in an attempt to distance themselves from a role they claimed to have never "understood or felt agency with". Quinlan's pronouns are they/them.[10]

In between tours, Quinlan works at a housepainting business owned by their aunt.[11]

Discography

Studio albums

References
  1. "ASCAP Ace Search - Frances Quinlan". ASCAP. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  2. Spruch, Kirsten (January 31, 2020). "How Frances Quinlan's Songwriting 'Chaos' Created One of the Year's Best Indie Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  3. Schemmer, Cynthia (June 10, 2015). "A Graceful Scream". Impose Magazine. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  4. "Girls Rock Philly Interviews: Frances Quinlan". YouTube. July 12, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  5. "An Interview with Hop Along's Frances Quinlan".
  6. "An Interview with Hop Along: With Eyes Painted Shut | the Aquarian".
  7. Vettese, John (August 21, 2015). "We're reasonably sure Hop Along is reissuing its coveted debut Freshman Year on vinyl". WXPN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  8. 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.
  9. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (August 21, 2018). "Hop Along Are Busy Being Born". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  10. Rossignol, Derrick (January 22, 2021). "Frances Quinlan Of Hop Along Has Come Out As Nonbinary". UPROXX. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  11. "Hop Along, Like a Wrecking Ball".
  12. "Likewise by Frances Quinlan on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved November 25, 2019.

Further reading
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