Frances Forever - Topic

Frances Forever’s debut LP, Lockjaw, is a second coming of age, showcasing the Boston-based songwriter and musician’s evolution into a full-fledged adult and artist. It opens a new chapter for Frances, who uses they/them pronouns, as they reflect on nostalgia, mental health, romance, and identity. “I wrote it fresh out of college as I was figuring out how to function in the world by myself,” Frances says. “A lot of it is about nostalgia for the times before when I had no responsibilities. I came out as non-binary in 2020 and a lot of the songs I’ve previously released were written before that. Here I’m singing about my gender and my sexuality and my queerness. It’s very vulnerable, and ultimately it’s the essence of me.” Lockjaw follows Frances Forever’s 2021 EP Paranoia Party, which marked their debut release on Mom + Pop. It featured “Space Girl,” Frances’ breakout hit which found viral success on TikTok in the fall of 2020. The track peaked with more than 500k average daily streams, and more 550 million video views and 550k videos created on TikTok. It was reissued featuring fellow rising star Chloe Moriondo in 2021 and saw a resurgence in February 2024. For their debut album, Frances wanted to incorporate more guitar, drums and strings, as well as to play around with different genres, which veer from angsty rock to buoyant indie pop. They wrote 28 songs, eventually selecting the 11 that represent who they are as a musician now.