Hop Along is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, formerly known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis.

History

Hop Along began as an acoustic

freak folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. ...

solo project A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumen ...

known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, during Frances Quinlan's senior year in high school. The name "Hop Along" is derived from a nickname Quinlan received in high school for being a slow walker, 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.https://officemagazine.net/hop-along Quinlan released their debut album ''Freshman Year'' in the summer of 2005. Quinlan performed an acoustic solo act for several years as they honed their style, stating "I would envy ull ensemblesbecause 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." 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. 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. The album was a critical success in the independent music press. Quinlan said they wanted the album to be produced by a friend rather than a stranger. The band approached Joe Reinhart of

Algernon Cadwallader Algernon Cadwallader is an American Midwest emo and math rock band from Yardley, Pennsylvania. They were originally active from 2005 to 2012. In 2022, the band regrouped and began touring again. ''Stereogum'' referred to the band as the "heroes ...

, who Quinlan had met through the Philadelphia basement show scene, to produce the album. Reinhart was later added to the band's lineup on

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

. In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label

Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over his ...

, which released the band's third full-length record, ''Painted Shut'', on May 4, 2015. The band toured with

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock (musician), Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and ba ...

and The War On Drugs in 2015. On January 22, 2018, the title and tracklisting of the band's fourth full-length record was revealed. The lead single "How Simple" appeared on streaming sites the next day after a postcard vinyl was sent in the mail. 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 Headroom Studios is a music recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was originally started by Kyle Pulley and Joe Reinhart in 2008 in a room in a live/work artist warehouse collective, located in North Philadelphia, until it moved to ...

. Hop Along embarked on a US tour of the Midwest and East Coast in the fall of 2021, their first tour since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour included a performance with

Dr. Dog Dr. Dog is an American rock band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its lineup consists of Toby Leaman (bass), Scott McMicken (lead guitar), Frank McElroy (rhythm guitar), Zach Miller (keyboard), Eric Slick (drums), and Michael Libramento ( ...

at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. On September 23, 2023, the band announced on X the cancellation of a planned Halloween show with Japanese Breakfast due to "unforeseen circumstances beyond he band'scontrol".

Artistry

The staff of

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

magazine have assessed that Hop Along "straddle several genres" and ratified "it’s easy enough to file them away in

without batting an eye". However, the site admitted that the band "derive some of their power from

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

". Hence, Hop Along's overall style has been described by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

as "impulsive,

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

-injected indie rock". In congruence,

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

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 Rilo Kiley ( ) is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1998, the band consists of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel. The group released their debut album '' Take-Offs and Landing ...

." Jezy J. Gray of

D Magazine ''D Magazine'' is a monthly magazine covering Dallas–Fort Worth. It is headquartered in Downtown Dallas. ''D Magazine'' covers a range of topics including politics, business, food, fashion and lifestyle in the city of Dallas. The first issue ...

stated that Hop Along "traffics in mid-tempo guitar jams, tender acoustic confessionals and buoyant,

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

-driven

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

". Grant Sharples of Alt Press said "although Hop Along have plenty of folksy tendencies,

music sets the groundwork for the group’s songwriting". Chris Gee of

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

described Hop Along's sound as a blend of

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

, folk and emo. Adam Turner-Heffer of Under the Radar described Hop Along's sound as "somewhere between the slippery tags of emo and folk." Frances Quinlan's vocal melodies have been called "downright outrageous, with their tumbling runs, frenetic note jumps and jazzy inflections." Lyrically, the band is known for the "

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

stylings" of frontperson Frances Quinlan. The band's songs often explore topics such as

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

loss Loss may refer to: *Economic loss *Grief, an emotional response to loss **Animal loss, grief over the loss of an animal Mathematics, science, and technology * Angular misalignment loss, power loss caused by the deviation from optimum angular al ...

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

and

abuse of power Abuse of power or abuse of authority, in the form of "malfeasance in office" or "official abuse of power", is the commission of an Crime, unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasan ...

. 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." According to Skye Butchard of The Skinny, "Frances Quinlan’s voice has been Hop Along’s not-so-secret weapon since they formed. It scratches, strains, coos and bleats in a way that appears wild and unkempt, but conveying such specificity of emotion that means it couldn’t possibly be accidental."

Office Magazine ''Office Magazine'' is an arts and culture magazine based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's l ...

said Quinlan's voice "wields a power that alludes to the strong women preceding her—the raspiness of Janis, the honesty of

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...

and

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

—yet is still impossible to define." Drummer Mark Quinlan has a

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

background, and is influenced by

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

and heavy metal music, which he jokingly attributed to "

angst Angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity. ''Anguish'' is its Romance languages, Latinate cognate, equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin. Etymology The word ''angst'' was introduced in ...

and male aggression" and "

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

white male problems". Guitarist Joe Reinhart is said to be stylistically rooted in " math emo" from his previous project,

. 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. Quinlan says that some songs evolve into something drasticly different after presenting the initial idea to the band.

Legacy

wrote "If

is the capital of indie rock, then Hop Along sits at the table with its top leaders."

Members

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

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Freshman Year'' (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2005) * ''

Get Disowned ''Get Disowned'' is Hop Along's second full-length album. It was released in March 2012 on Hot Green Records in the US and Big Scary Monsters in the UK/Europe. In 2016 it was reissued by Saddle Creek. Background and recording Hop Along approac ...

'' (2012) * '' Painted Shut'' (2015) * '' Bark Your Head Off, Dog'' (2018)

EPs

* ''Sympathetic Flypaper'' (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2003) * ''Songs of The Sea'' (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2004) * ''Is Something Wrong?'' (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2009) * ''Wretches'' (2009)

References

{{Authority control American folk rock groups Indie rock musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups from Philadelphia Musical groups established in 2004 Saddle Creek Records artists 2004 establishments in Pennsylvania