Hop Along: 'Buddy In The Parade,' Live On Soundcheck

Read the entire interview at Soundcheck.org: soundcheck.wnyc...
Watch Hop Along perform "Buddy In The Parade" from its album, Painted Shut, in the Soundcheck studio.
It's practically impossible not to be drawn in by Hop Along's spiky and catchy melodies, or Frances Quinlan's distinctively frayed voice. Starting roughly ten years ago as a solo songwriting outlet -- then called Hop Along, Queen Ansleis -- Quinlan crafted lo-fi folk songs while in art school in Baltimore, and released her first record, Freshman Year, in 2006.
But it wasn't until she relocated to Philadelphia after graduation, moved in with and started playing music with her brother Mark that a full band began to take shape. There's a clear musical chemistry between the two siblings: His heavy and precise, metal-informed drumming serves as a counterpoint to her idiosyncratic singing -- creating an push\pull, quiet-then-loud dynamic that defines the Hop Along's explosive sound. With the addition of bassist Tyler Long and guitarist Joe Reinhart -- who came on as a full-time member after producing 2012's Get Disowned -- Hop Along grew into a local favorite among Philadelphia's supportive (and affordable) music community.
Hop Along's hard work and word-of-mouth reputation is finally paying off. Painted Shut -- the band's new album, and first on the beloved indie label Saddle Creek -- not only stands firmly alongside Hop Along's Philly peers, it's one of the year's best rock records.
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[@awfulawfulawful]

Best band? Best band.

[@zapruderr]

Gee willikers helluva performance. Love this band