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Hop Along

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Hop Along
Hop Along performing in 2019
Hop Along performing in 2019
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Years active2005–present
LabelsSaddle Creek, Hot Green, Salinas, Big Scary Monsters
MembersFrances Quinlan
Mark Quinlan
Tyler Long
Joe Reinhart
Past membersJacki Sulley[7]
Dominic Angelella[8]
Peter Helmis
Websitewww.hopalongtheband.com

Hop Along is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis.[9]

History

[edit]
Main articles: Get Disowned; Painted Shut; and Bark Your Head Off, Dog

Hop Along began as an acoustic freak folk solo project known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, during Frances Quinlan's senior year in high school.[10][11] The name "Hop Along" is derived from a nickname Quinlan received in high school for being a slow walker,[12] and "Queen Ansleis" was derived from the name of a wild flower, which Quinlan intentionally misspelled so it could be the name of a character.[13]

Quinlan released their debut album Freshman Year in the summer of 2005.[14]

Quinlan performed an acoustic solo act for several years as they honed their style, stating "I would envy [full ensembles] because I thought that a band inherently carries more energy than a person does solo. I suppose you could argue that point, but when I was playing by myself it was just out of necessity. I wanted to play and I just couldn’t seem to get a band together. I wanted to write and I didn’t want to wait for anybody."[15]

Three years after Quinlan's first album, their brother Mark joined the project as drummer, followed by bassist Tyler Long in 2009. As a trio, the band's name was shortened to Hop Along.[10] The group's first release was an EP titled Wretches in 2009, followed by their second full-length album Get Disowned on May 5, 2012.[16] The album was a critical success in the independent music press.[17][18][19] Quinlan said they wanted the album to be produced by a friend rather than a stranger. The band approached Joe Reinhart of Algernon Cadwallader, who Quinlan had met through the Philadelphia basement show scene, to produce the album.[20] Reinhart was later added to the band's lineup on lead guitar.[10]

In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label Saddle Creek Records,[21] which released the band's third full-length record, Painted Shut, on May 4, 2015.

The band toured with Modest Mouse and The War On Drugs in 2015.[22]

On January 22, 2018, the title and tracklisting of the band's fourth full-length record was revealed.[23] The lead single "How Simple" appeared on streaming sites the next day after a postcard vinyl was sent in the mail.[24] The nine-track Bark Your Head Off, Dog was released on April 6, 2018. It was recorded by Joe Reinhart and Kyle Pulley at Headroom Studios.[25]

Hop Along embarked on a US tour of the Midwest and East Cost in the fall of 2021, their first tour since before the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] The tour included a performance with Dr. Dog at the Shelbourne Museum in Vermont.[27]

On September 23, 2023, the band announced on X the cancellation of a planned Halloween show with Japanese Breakfast due to "unforeseen circumstances beyond [the band's] control".[28]

Musical style and lyrics

[edit]

The staff of Spin magazine have assessed that Hop Along "straddle several genres" and ratified "it’s easy enough to file them away in indie rock without batting an eye". However, the site admitted that the band "derive some of their power from emo".[29] Hence, Hop Along's overall style has been described by AllMusic as "impulsive, punk-injected indie rock".[30] In congruence, Pitchfork said "Hop Along's energy comes from punk but their style is indebted to the romantic, middle-American indie of Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley."[31] Jezy J. Gray of D Magazine stated that Hop Along "traffics in mid-tempo guitar jams, tender acoustic confessionals and buoyant, hook-driven indie pop".[32] Grant Sharples of Alt Press said "although Hop Along have plenty of folksy tendencies, emo music sets the groundwork for the group’s songwriting".[33] Chris Gee of Exclaim! described Hop Along's sound as a blend of power pop, folk and emo.[34]

The band is known for the "literary stylings" of frontperson Frances Quinlan. The band's songs often explore topics such as death, loss, poverty and abuse of power. Quinlan has stated "I don’t ever want to get away from talking about death. I don’t want to be a drag either but I think the only way you can speak honestly is to have it in your mind."[35][36][37]

Office Magazine said Quinlan's voice "wields a power that alludes to the strong women preceding her—the raspiness of Janis, the honesty of Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette—yet is still impossible to define."[13] Drummer Mark Quinlan has a hardcore punk background, and is influenced by grunge and heavy metal music, which he jokingly attributed to "angst and male aggression" and "suburban white male problems".[38][39][40] Guitarist Joe Reinhart is said to be stylistically rooted in "math emo" from his previous project, Algernon Cadwallader.[41]

Hop Along's songwriting process is a collaborative effort that involves Quinlan conceiving rough ideas for songs that are later developed and fleshed out by the rest of the band.[42][43] Quinlan says that some songs evolve into something drasticly different after presenting the initial idea to the band.[44]

Legacy

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Pitchfork wrote "If Philadelphia is the capital of indie rock, then Hop Along sits at the table with its top leaders."[45]

Members

[edit]

Current Members

  • Frances Quinlan - vocals, guitar (2005–present)
  • Mark Quinlan - drums (2009–present)
  • Tyler Long - bass (2009–present)
  • Joe Reinhart - guitar (2012–present)

Former members

  • Dominic Angelella - guitar (2012)
  • Peter Helmis - album layout (2012)
  • Jacki Sulley - guitar, keyboard

Timeline

[edit]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]

EPs

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  • Songs of The Sea (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2004)[8]
  • Is Something Wrong? (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2009)
  • Wretches (2009)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sharples, Grant. "Top 10 new-wave emo artists to keep on your radar". Alt Press. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Gray, Jezy J. "Frances Quinlan of Hop Along On Death and Coping Music". D Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Gee, Chris. "Hop Along / Bat Fangs". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Gee, Chris. "Hop Along / Bat Fangs". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  5. ^ Sharples, Grant. "Top 10 new-wave emo artists to keep on your radar". Alt Press. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Gee, Chris. "Hop Along / Bat Fangs". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "Cargo". Jackisullivan.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "A Graceful Scream - Features - Impose Magazine". Imposemagazine.com. June 10, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Andrew Sacher (September 4, 2020). "Hop Along, Queen Ansleis LP finally streaming, bonus EP on Bandcamp, Frances doing livestream". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Fox, Jesse David (May 8, 2015). "Is This the Best Voice in Rock Music Today?". Vulture. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  11. ^ Backstage Broadcast (May 31, 2013). "Hop Along // Interview". YouTube. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  12. ^ Cohen, Ian. "Hop Along: Get Disowned". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  13. ^ a b https://officemagazine.net/hop-along
  14. ^ "Hop Along Queen Ansleis - Freshman Year (album review )". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  15. ^ McQueen, Greg (December 9, 2015). "An Interview with Hop Along: With Eyes Painted Shut". The Aquarian Weekly. Arts Weekly Inc. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  16. ^ "Hop Along". Hopalong.bandcamp.com. May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  17. ^ "Hop Along - Get Disowned". Punknews.org. June 19, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  18. ^ "Hop Along - Get Disowned (album review 2)". Sputnikmusic. May 28, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  19. ^ "Album Review: Hop Along - Get Disowned". Already Heard. April 9, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  20. ^ "Hop Along // Interview - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  21. ^ "Hop Along signs to Saddle Creek Records; new album due in spring 2015 - The Key". Thekey.xpn.org. October 30, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  22. ^ "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan is coming through loud and clear". The Denver Post. February 4, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "Hop Along Tease New Album Bark Your Head Off, Dog". Stereogum.com. January 22, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  24. ^ "Daniel Cohen on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  25. ^ "Bark Your Head Off, Dog, by Hop Along". Hop Along. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  26. ^ https://www.punknews.org/article/75052/tours-hop-along-announce-2021-tour
  27. ^ https://consequence.net/2021/07/hop-along-2021-tour/
  28. ^ "Hop Along Have (Maybe) Broken Up, According to the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon │ Exclaim!". Hop Along Have (Maybe) Broken Up, According to the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon │ Exclaim!. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  29. ^ "30 Best Emo Revival Albums, Ranked". Spin. Retrieved November 23, 2024. Philadelphia's Hop Along successfully straddle several genres, and it's easy enough to file them away in indie rock without batting an eye. But they derive some of their power from emo—before Saddle Creek came calling, frontwoman Frances Quinlan helped build the foundation for Philadelphia's now-celebrated rock scene by blurring punk, emo, and folk, while her future bandmate and scene-engineer extraordinaire Joe Reinhart inspired a thousand bands to twinkle as the guitarist for Algernon Cadwallader. Hop Along have been Quinlan's ship since the beginning, and she's motored it with emo's affection for complex guitars and herky-jerky instrumentation pivotal to many a Dischord band.
  30. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hop-along-mn0003086343#biography
  31. ^ https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20398-painted-shut/
  32. ^ Gray, Jezy J. "Frances Quinlan of Hop Along On Death and Coping Music". D Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  33. ^ Sharples. "Top 10 new-wave emo artists to keep on your radar". Alt Press.
  34. ^ Gee, Chris. "Hop Along / Bat Fangs". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  35. ^ Duncan, Tess. [“I Never Want to Get Away from Talking About Death”: Q&A with Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan ""I Never Want to Get Away from Talking About Death": Q&A with Hop Along's Frances Quinlan"]. Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  36. ^ "Frances Quinlan of Hop Along On Death and Coping Music". D Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  37. ^ Gee, Chris. "Hop Along / Bat Fangs". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  38. ^ Inskeep, Steve. "Hop Along's 'Painted Shut' Invokes Two Mysterious Musicians". NPR. Retrieved November 23, 2024. So much of my taste was influenced by angst and male aggression and, you know, suburban white male problems. A lot of the metal I listened to back then I'll still listen to — I just put on a Cannibal Corpse record from back then, and since I can't understand the lyrics, it's just this really heavy, rhythm-driven vibe that I love. Then from there I made the transition into old screamo where it was kids that looked like me trying to play black metal and it ended up being this cool new thing. But, you know, it was all just about being a boy.
  39. ^ Tedder, Michael (March 26, 2018). "Hop Along Talk ICP, Ani DiFranco, & Their Awesome New Album". Stereogum. Retrieved November 23, 2024. So much of my taste was influenced by angst and male aggression and, you know, suburban white male problems. A lot of the metal I listened to back then I'll still listen to — I just put on a Cannibal Corpse record from back then, and since I can't understand the lyrics, it's just this really heavy, rhythm-driven vibe that I love. Then from there I made the transition into old screamo where it was kids that looked like me trying to play black metal and it ended up being this cool new thing. But, you know, it was all just about being a boy.
  40. ^ "The High Key Portrait Series: Frances Quinlan". WXPN. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  41. ^ Gee, Chris. "Hop Along / Bat Fangs". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  42. ^ "Hop Along's Frances Quinlan's favourite songs". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  43. ^ "Hop Along: 'It's Fun To Freak Out' | Soundcheck". WNYC Studios. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  44. ^ "Interview: Hop Along's Frances Quinlan on Expanding Their DIY Rock Vision". Reverb. June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2024. We edit throughout the entire process, from our initial jam sessions all the way through to recording. As soon as I bring a song to the band, as soon as they start playing in a major way, it's already different. Some songs stayed mostly what they were to begin with, maybe with a tempo change or with a part taken out. And then other songs changed dramatically at differing times. It's important to keep the process as free of rules as possible. It's a challenge to be free about change, but it's only made the songs better, in my opinion.
  45. ^ ""How Simple"". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
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