Hop Along is on a long hot streak right now. The band just released its third full-length album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog on April 6 of this year. This latest record is an impressive entry to an already impressive oeuvre. Beginning with 2012’s instant classic Get Disowned, Hop Along has yet to release anything less than incredibly powerful and emotive.
The band started off as a solo project by lead singer and guitarist Frances Quinlan but has evolved into a full-fledged group that includes her brother Mark Quinlan on drums, Tyler Long on bass, and Joe Reinhart also on guitar. Quinlan’s vocals and lyrics are the propulsive force for Hop Along. Her voice has incredible range and serves as it’s own instrument. However, the rest of the band are game to match the winding path her vocals take.
Hop Along takes listeners down unexpected paths with shifting melodies and moods that crescendo and smooth out in equal measure. Bark Your Head Off, Dog feels like the most energetic and divergent record of their career so far. The band sounds comfortable with taking risks and trusting the bond they’ve built together. In short, it’s one of the best records of the year so far.
We got the chance to catch up with bassist Tyler Long before the band headlines Royale this Thursday, May 3.
Allston Pudding: What was the energy like when recording the new album? There feels like a propulsive and tangible energy that runs through the record.
Tyler Long: The energy was definitely a long awaited excitement to lay it all down. We had been working on these songs, or at least what would become these songs, for over a year and there was a true desire to want to show people the “finished” product. It was in no way a rushed feeling, just passion and excitement.
AP: What are you most proud of on the new album?
TL: I’d have to say the diversity on this record. I loved Painted Shut but it felt more like a straight up rock record while this one feels like nine totally different songs but still with a weaving thread so it still feels like a complete album and not just a collection of songs.
AP: What did you want to accomplish with your bass parts on this record?
TL: Leading up to the writing and demoing process of this record I had finally gotten around to trying to be a more rounded bass player. Before 2009 when I started playing with the band I had never really picked up a bass so it took time to figure out all the little nuances of the bass. I still haven’t figured out all of them but I love learning and discovering new ones.
I wanted to become a more rhythmic bass player instead of just a octave-lower guitar. I really loved playing closer and closer to Mark’s drumming to the point where a lot of songs I am just playing the root note, but in a prominently rhythmic beat.
AP: What’s the collaborative process like for the band?
TL: For the most part Frances comes to us with a skeletal structure. We jam on it, a lot of times in different environments, with different instruments, or different times of the day and I think that adds to the creative process. While it really is Frances that’s the songwriter, it really does have a lot to do with jamming collectively for hours and hours.
AP: How do you think the band has grown since the beginning up until now with the release of Bark Your Head Off, Dog?
TL: We all went from our early/mid-twenties to early/mid-thirties so I think there is a lot that comes with that. Musically we’ve all calmed down a bit so to speak. We focus a lot more now on the little things that make up the big picture.
AP: What’s your experience been like to be in a band that has had a track record of sustained success and consistent growing popularity?
TL: I never expected to be in this position so anytime I find myself feeling complacent I definitely have to think about how grateful I should be and just try to continue to do what feels right.
AP: What’s the transition been like taking the new songs from the studio out on the road? What kind of reaction are you getting from fans?
TL: We’ve really only had one Hop Along show and it was an incredible sold-out-in-a-minute small show at one of our favorite venues in Philly and the response was amazing. I’ve personally never seen so many people singing along to songs that had been out for a day. So if that’s a preview of whats to come, I’d say it’ll be a great reaction.
AP: What are your hopes for the future of Hop Along?
TL: I’m ridiculously fortunate enough to make music that I couldn’t be more proud of with some of my best friends and travel everywhere with them. I have no doubts that we’ll continue to do just that and I couldn’t be happier.
Catch Hop Along touring in support of their new album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog at Royale on 5/3