Hopper were an English

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 formed in 1992. They first signed to Damaged Goods (the label that released the

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' first official single). Their debut single was "Hunter" released on 31 January 1994. Their second, "Baby Oil Applicator" created more of a buzz and

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with BBC Radio 6 Music. Lamacq was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire ( ...

made it his single of the week on Radio 1. They signed to Factory Too, the new label of

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, after the demise of

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order (band), New Order, A Certain Ra ...

. They recorded their debut album ''English and French'' (originally entitled ''Cause I Rock''), produced by

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after he left

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, Textile, fabrics, Handbag, purses, furniture, and other items. Suede is made from the underside of the animal skin, which is softer and m ...

. The record was engineered by

Nigel Godrich Nigel Timothy Godrich (born 28 February 1971) is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He has worked with acts including Radiohead, Travis, Beck, Air, Paul McCartney, U2, R.E.M., Pavement, Roger Waters, Arcade Fire and ...

after working on

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

's '' The Bends''. The album was released during the peak of

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

, which caused inevitable comparisons to other English female-fronted bands of the time such as Sleeper, who were frequently slated by music papers such as ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' and ''

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''.

Single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

s released off the album included "Bad Kid" and "Wasted," which were melodic

pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

anthems; they did well on the UK indie charts, but did not enjoy the mainstream success of other guitar bands of the time. Other singles were "Ridiculous Day" and "Oh my Heartless," which were acoustic-driven and mellower. This was more typical of the album as a whole, though the songs would tend to build towards the end. Rachel Morris was frequently commended for her unconventional singing style. She would often emphasise different parts of lines when they are repeated in the songs. After touring and promoting the album and its singles for eighteen months, the band split in 1998. Rachel Ratajski (Morris) continued in music, working on a solo project under the name Rachel Kyriaki. It was reported on 28 February 2022 that she had died from unspecified causes.

Discography

Album

* ''English and French'' (1996) Factory Too

EP

* ''Baby Oil Applicator'' (1994) Damaged Goods

Singles

* "Hunter" (1994) Damaged Goods * "Wasted" (1995) Factory Too * "Ridiculous Day" (1996) Factory Too * "Bad Kid" (1996) Factory Too * "Oh My Heartless" (1997) Factory Too

References

{{reflist Indie rock groups from London Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 English musical quartets Factory Records artists