Clattermouuuth’s Music of The Week: Q&A With Frances Baker

By Andrew Kohler

Welcome back to Clattermouuuth’s Music of the Week, curating Rockaway’s music taste one week at a time. Today, I thought I’d share with you an interview I had with the indie bedroom pop artist Frances Baker.

Q: Describe your music for unfamiliar listeners​​​.

A: Dean Blunt meets Fiona Apple ideally! With angelic vibes, loving pigeons, seashells, etc. Sometimes angry, sometimes escapy — I like to try to have fun, but sometimes I just can’t.

Q: Describe your creative process.

​A: It is always changing, sometimes I am writing on guitar, sometimes with samples! Usually, one process at a time for a few months, then I change it. I enjoy working on music in the morning, listening to what I worked on as a voice memo, and then continuing to work on it at night. I try to always do something every day, even if it is playing three chords one time through.

​Q: Your debut album, “BLOSSOM,” is such a strong and promising project. How was that album created? What is your personal favorite track on that album?

A: Thank you! It’s really more like a mix tape to me. After college, I was feeling a bit bummed and lost… This mixtape is a compilation of some of my favorite tracks I made that year. I think my favorite song is probably “What!?” I just love the production! I worked with an amazing guitarist and engineer named Sam Harding! “Finsta” and “December 14” were made two days apart when I was challenging myself to make a song a day. I love that people have connected to “Finsta” because I made that on my computer late one night, then when I was compiling these songs, I only had a WAV file of the track. So we couldn’t change anything, just master it.

Q: How’d you first get into making music?

​A: I started writing with a guitar in middle school! My dad’s friend gave him an acoustic, but he never ended up learning to play, so I got to have it. I was very dramatic and sensitive, so I was always writing and watching guitar YouTube videos. Also very stubborn, so I refused to take lessons until I was in high school.

​Q: Where do you find the inspiration to create music?

A: My inspiration comes from the way songs decorate rooms, moments, and parties with ambiance. I love to be in a moment and imagine how the perfect song for that moment would start… maybe with a trumpet? I love looking at people and imagining what they would want to listen to and why. Listen to feel understood or to get lost? Listen to wallow or escape? Listen to walk more confidently? I like imagining new songs up for people and imagining what I want to hear.

Q: Any new music soon?

A: Yes! Ideally, as much music as I can finish. I am really bad about finishing projects and just leaving them on my computer. 100% another song very soon.​

Q: What music have you been listening to lately?

A: Blood Orange! How could I be so stupid as to not listen sooner? I am also enjoying Amy and some Frank Ocean.