Hop Along

{{main|Get Disowned|Painted Shut|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.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWNmTsJL1E|title=Hop Along // Interview|last=Backstage Broadcast|date=May 31, 2013|access-date=April 6, 2018|publisher=YouTube}} The name "Hop Along" is derived from a nickname Quinlan received in high school for being a slow walker,{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Ian |title=Hop Along: Get Disowned |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21510-get-disowned/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/31430/Hop-Along-Queen-Ansleis-Freshman-Year/ |title=Hop Along Queen Ansleis - Freshman Year (album review ) |publisher=Sputnikmusic |access-date=2013-05-21}}

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."{{Cite journal |last=McQueen |first=Greg |date=December 9, 2015 |title=An Interview with Hop Along: With Eyes Painted Shut |journal=The Aquarian Weekly |publisher=Arts Weekly Inc. |url=http://www.theaquarian.com/2015/12/09/an-interview-with-hop-along-with-eyes-painted-shut/ |access-date=February 20, 2016 }}

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.{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Jesse David |title=Is This the Best Voice in Rock Music Today? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/05/this-the-best-voice-in-rock-music-today.html |website=Vulture |access-date=4 August 2021 |date=8 May 2015}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://hopalong.bandcamp.com/ |title=Hop Along |publisher=Hopalong.bandcamp.com |date=2012-05-05 |access-date=2013-05-21}} The album was a critical success in the independent music press.{{cite web|url=http://www.punknews.org/review/11270/hop-along-get-disowned |title=Hop Along - Get Disowned |date=June 19, 2012 |publisher=Punknews.org |access-date=2013-05-21}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/49982/Hop-Along-Get-Disowned/ |title=Hop Along - Get Disowned (album review 2) |publisher=Sputnikmusic |date=2012-05-28 |access-date=2013-05-21}}{{cite web|url=http://alreadyheard.com/post/47538163879/album-review-hop-along-get-disowned#.UXhpo1GBWaU |title=Album Review: Hop Along - Get Disowned |publisher=Already Heard |date=2013-04-09 |access-date=2013-05-21}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Hop Along // Interview - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWNmTsJL1E&t=7s|access-date=2020-12-21|website=www.youtube.com}} Reinhart was later added to the band's lineup on lead guitar.

In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label Saddle Creek Records,{{cite web|url=http://thekey.xpn.org/2014/10/30/hop-along-saddle-creek-records/|title=Hop Along signs to Saddle Creek Records; new album due in spring 2015 - The Key|date=October 30, 2014|website=Thekey.xpn.org|access-date=April 6, 2018}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2016-02-04 |title=Hop Along's Frances Quinlan is coming through loud and clear |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2016/02/04/hop-alongs-frances-quinlan-is-coming-through-loud-and-clear/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}

On January 22, 2018, the title and tracklisting of the band's fourth full-length record was revealed.{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1979682/hop-along-tease-new-album-bark-your-head-off-dog/news/|title=Hop Along Tease New Album Bark Your Head Off, Dog|date=January 22, 2018|website=Stereogum.com|access-date=April 6, 2018}} The lead single "How Simple" appeared on streaming sites the next day after a postcard vinyl was sent in the mail.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Daaaaaannnnnnnn/status/955522749568569344|title=Daniel Cohen on Twitter|website=Twitter|access-date=April 6, 2018}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Bark Your Head Off, Dog, by Hop Along|url=https://hopalong.bandcamp.com/album/bark-your-head-off-dog|access-date=2021-02-15|website=Hop Along}}

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.https://www.punknews.org/article/75052/tours-hop-along-announce-2021-tour The tour included a performance with Dr. Dog at the Shelbourne Museum in Vermont.https://consequence.net/2021/07/hop-along-2021-tour/

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".{{Cite web |title=Hop Along Have (Maybe) Broken Up, According to the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon │ Exclaim! |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hop-along-have-broken-up-according-to-the-gaslight-anthem-s-brian-fallon |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Hop Along Have (Maybe) Broken Up, According to the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon │ Exclaim! |language=en}}

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".{{cite web |title=30 Best Emo Revival Albums, Ranked |url=https://www.spin.com/2017/06/best-emo-revival-albums-ranked/ |website=Spin |access-date=November 23, 2024 |quote=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.}} Hence, Hop Along's overall style has been described by AllMusic as "impulsive, punk-injected indie rock".https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hop-along-mn0003086343#biography 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."https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20398-painted-shut/ 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".{{cite web |last1=Gray |first1=Jezy J. |title=Frances Quinlan of Hop Along On Death and Coping Music |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2018/06/frances-quinlan-of-hop-along-on-death-grief-and-coping-music/ |website=D Magazine |access-date=November 29, 2024}} Grant Sharples of Alt Press said "although Hop Along have plenty of folksy tendencies, emo music sets the groundwork for the group’s songwriting".{{cite web |last1=Sharples |title=Top 10 new-wave emo artists to keep on your radar |url=https://www.altpress.com/best-new-emo-artists/ |website=Alt Press}} Chris Gee of Exclaim! described Hop Along's sound as a blend of power pop, folk and emo.{{cite web |last1=Gee |first1=Chris |title=Hop Along / Bat Fangs |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hop_along_bat_fangs-horseshoe_tavern_toronto_on_june_8 |website=Exclaim! |access-date=November 29, 2024}} 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."{{Cite web |title=Hop Along: Bark Your Head Off, Dog review - The Skinny |url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/hop-along-bark-your-head-off-dog |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.theskinny.co.uk |language=en}}

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."{{cite web |last1=Duncan |first1=Tess |title=“I Never Want to Get Away from Talking About Death”: Q&A with Hop Along's Frances Quinlan |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/i-never-want-to-get-away-from-talking-about-death |website=Paste Magazine |access-date=November 29, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Frances Quinlan of Hop Along On Death and Coping Music |url=https://www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2018/06/frances-quinlan-of-hop-along-on-death-grief-and-coping-music/ |website=D Magazine |access-date=November 29, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Gee |first1=Chris |title=Hop Along / Bat Fangs |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hop_along_bat_fangs-horseshoe_tavern_toronto_on_june_8 |website=Exclaim! |access-date=November 29, 2024}}

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 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." 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".{{cite web |last1=Inskeep |first1=Steve |title=Hop Along's 'Painted Shut' Invokes Two Mysterious Musicians |quote=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. |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/404214967 |website=NPR |access-date=November 23, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Tedder |first1=Michael |title=Hop Along Talk ICP, Ani DiFranco, & Their Awesome New Album |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1988466/hop-along-talk-icp-ani-difranco-their-awesome-new-album/interviews/ |website=Stereogum |access-date=November 23, 2024 |date=March 26, 2018 |quote=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.}}{{cite web |title=The High Key Portrait Series: Frances Quinlan |url=https://xpn.org/2020/01/28/hkps-frances-quinlan/ |website=WXPN |access-date=November 29, 2024}} Guitarist Joe Reinhart is said to be stylistically rooted in "math emo" from his previous project, Algernon Cadwallader.{{cite web |last1=Gee |first1=Chris |title=Hop Along / Bat Fangs |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/hop_along_bat_fangs-horseshoe_tavern_toronto_on_june_8 |website=Exclaim! |access-date=November 29, 2024}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Hop Along's Frances Quinlan's favourite songs |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/frances-quinlan-hopalong-nine-favourite-songs |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=The Line of Best Fit |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Hop Along: 'It's Fun To Freak Out' {{!}} Soundcheck |url=https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/soundcheck/articles/hop-along-interview |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=WNYC Studios |language=en}} Quinlan says that some songs evolve into something drasticly different after presenting the initial idea to the band.{{cite web |title=Interview: Hop Along's Frances Quinlan on Expanding Their DIY Rock Vision |url=https://reverb.com/news/interview-hop-alongs-frances-quinlan-on-expanding-their-diy-rock-vision |website=Reverb |access-date=November 23, 2024 |date=June 12, 2018 |quote=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.}}

Pitchfork wrote "If Philadelphia is the capital of indie rock, then Hop Along sits at the table with its top leaders."{{cite web |title=“How Simple” |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/hop-along-how-simple/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=November 29, 2024}}

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

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• Freshman Year (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2005)
• Get Disowned (2012)
• Painted Shut (2015)
• Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2018)

• Songs of The Sea (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2004){{cite web|url=http://www.imposemagazine.com/features/hop-along-interview-a-graceful-scream|title=A Graceful Scream - Features - Impose Magazine|date=June 10, 2015|website=Imposemagazine.com|access-date=April 6, 2018}}
• Is Something Wrong? (as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis) (2009)
• Wretches (2009)

{{Reflist}}

{{Hop Along}}

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Category:American folk rock groups

Category:Indie rock musical groups from Pennsylvania

Category:Musical groups from Philadelphia

Category:Musical groups established in 2004

Category:Saddle Creek Records artists

Category:2004 establishments in Pennsylvania