Hop Along began as an acousticfreak folksolo 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.
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
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]
Lyrically, 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]
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
Pitchfork wrote "If Philadelphia is the capital of indie rock, then Hop Along sits at the table with its top leaders."[45]
^"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.
^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)
^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.
^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.
^"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.
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