Formerly known as Hop Along, Queen Ansleis, the Philadelphia band have built on the critical success of their 2012 album Get Disowned and were signed to flagship independent label Saddle Creek Records at the end of 2014. An indie folk-rock four piece featuring siblings Mark and Frances Quinlan, Hop Along now have the platform for people to stand up and take notice.
What’s Their Sound?
Billed as a cross between Sleater-Kinney and Speedy Ortiz, Hop Along play melodic indie rock facilitated by fuzzy riffs and euphoric surges of Strokes-like guitar. Atop all this, front woman Frances delivers a strikingly raw vocal that sways from cooing caress to throat-shredding frenzy. Accessible tunes and tasteful guitars camouflage occasionally uneasy subject matter as with the excellent ‘Powerful Man’; a song in which Frances confronts her impotent fear in the face of a young boy being beaten by his father.
What Are They Up To?
Having cemented their deal with Saddle Creek, excitement is building for the release of Hop Along’s new album Painted Shut; an album that VICE Magazine are already speculating “might just end up being the best album of the year”
Where Can I See Them?
Hop Along are currently touring stateside in support slots for The War on Drugs. Watch this space for potential European dates sometime during 2015!
Scott Hammond