Hop Along | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2005–present |
Labels | Saddle Creek, Hot Green, Salinas, Big Scary Monsters |
Members |
Frances Quinlan Mark Quinlan Tyler Long Joe Reinhart |
Past members | Jacki Sulley
[1] Dominic Angelella [2] Peter Helmis |
Website |
www |
Hop Along is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formerly known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. [3]
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. [4] [5] Quinlan released their debut album Freshman Year in the summer of 2005. [6]
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." [7]
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. [4] 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. [8] The album was a critical success in the independent music press. [9] [10] [11] 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. [12] Reinhart was later added to the band's lineup on lead guitar. [4]
In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label Saddle Creek Records, [13] 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. [14] The lead single "How Simple" appeared on streaming sites the next day after a postcard vinyl was sent in the mail. [15] 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. [16]
Current Members
Former members