Aoife Nessa Frances

Aoife Nessa Frances is an Irish singer/songwriter based in North Dublin whose haunting and sometimes experimental blend of indie folk and lightly psychedelic pop is dramatically conveyed by her lush, dark-toned vocals and elegant arrangements. She released her debut album, Land of No Junction, in January 2020. Her pastoral and ruminative follow-up, Protector, arrived in late 2022.
A native of Dublin’s southern coastal area, Frances comes from a large creative family and was encouraged to engage with music at a young age. After a hand injury altered her course from flamenco guitar to more subtle folk and rock styles, she began writing songs and eventually found a place amid the city’s bustling indie rock scene as one-half of the shoegaze duo Princess. She and bandmate Liam Mesbur released a handful of singles and EPs, enjoying some decent exposure in the mid-2010s before going their separate ways. Over the coming years, Frances devoted herself to writing songs of a more pastoral, acoustic nature, working with collaborator Cian Nugent to develop an elegant sound that included light psychedelic flourishes and lush strings. Resurfacing in 2019 under her own name, she announced a deal with American indie Ba Da Bing Records, which issued her solo debut, Land of No Junction, early the following year.
With touring off temporarily off the table due to the global pandemic, Frances headed to rural County Clare on Ireland’s west coast and began writing material for her next album. The focus of isolation, both in writing and recording, brought about a personal transformation that can be heard in the tranquil, mysterious sounds of her second album, Protector. Released in late 2022 by the Partisan label, the record explores themes of dislocation, family, and renewal. ~ Timothy Monger