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Apr 11, 2018 Hop Along By Christopher Roberts

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Philadelphia’s Hop Along released a new album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, last week via Saddle Creek. It’s the band’s fourth album. Previously they had shared three songs from it: “How Simple,” “Not Abel,” and “Prior Things.” Now “How Simple” has a video. Derrick Belcham directed the video in close collaboration with frontwoman Frances Quinlan. It features Quinlan singing and dancing in a dark house while lit by a spotlight and is actually her first time appearing in a music video. Watch it below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Quinlan had this to say about the video in a press release: “This is my first time appearing in a music video; in which case I decided to do something that felt risky to me. I told myself that I’ve danced through my own house solo enough times to do an alright job of it in front of a camera. All that being said, I’m still surprised that this piece came to be. I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do it. Derrick did an excellent job directing, he made it a lot easier for me to access that part of myself and made it all look dreamy in a way that I couldn’t have achieved otherwise.”

Belcham had this to say: “Frances came to me with a fully-fleshed out idea for this video, and approached the dancing with so much enthusiasm and vulnerability, it was such a pleasure to work this thing out with her.”

Hop Along is Quinlan (songwriter, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist), Tyler Long (bass), Joe Reinhart (guitar), and Mark Quinlan (drums). Bark Your Head Off, Dog was self-produced by the band and recorded at The Headroom in Philadelphia by Reinhart and Kyle Pulley. A press release describes the album as such: “Bark Your Head Off, Dog features the familiar sounds that have always made the band allergic to genre: grunge, folk, punk, and power pop all appear, with inspiration from ELO to Elvis Costello to ‘70s girl group vocal arrangements. This time around, they’ve added strings, more intricate rhythms, lush harmonies (featuring Thin Lips’ Chrissy Tashjian), along with a momentary visit with a vocoder. In more than one place, Mark Quinlan drums like he’s at a disco with Built to Spill. Bark Your Head Off, Dog is, without question, Hop Along’s most dynamic and textured record yet.”

Read our recent interview with Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan about Bark Your Head Off, Dog.

Read our review of Bark Your Head Off, Dog.

Hop Along Tour Dates:

5/1: Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt *
5/2: Holyoke, MA @ Gateway City Arts *
5/3: Boston, MA @ Royale *
5/5: Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
5/6: Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry *
5/7: Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall *
5/8: Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall *
5/10: Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West *
5/11: Birmingham, AL @ Saturn *
5/12: Nashville, TN @ Exit / In *
5/14: Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi *
5/15: Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups *
5/19: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
5/30: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
6/1: Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall #
6/2: Montreal, QC @ Le Belmont #
6/3: South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground #
6/5: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
6/6: Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit #
6/8: Toronto, ON @The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern #
6/9: Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch #
6/10: Chicago, IL @ Metro #
6/12: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall #
6/13: St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club #
6/16: Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room #
6/18: Dallas, TX @ Club Dada #
6/19: Austin, TX @ Barracuda #
6/20:Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall #
6/22: St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
6/23: Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar @

* = Saintseneca supporting
# = Bat Fangs supporting
@ = Ratboys supporting

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