Everyone approaches songwriting differently, but I’m particularly drawn to the metaphor presented by Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan of dismantling and reassembling puzzle pieces.
“I think songwriting, making any piece of art really, is essentially creating a problem out of nothing and then taking on the task of ‘solving it’,” she writes to me, “In general, I take a long time to finish anything. I can’t say if that’s the reason I feel so changed by the end of a piece, or if I have a hard time finishing pieces because of the rate at which I feel I am changing. It’s probably the former. Either way it’s alright. […] I tend to write alone, [but] arranging and recording is always the opposite of that. It’s strange, watching a song form in front of you as an almost tangible shape, and how that shape is so surprising by the end.”
Hop Along’s Bark Your Head Off, Dog has been a standout record of 2018, cementing the already long-established band’s place at the forefront of the indie scene. Quinlan expresses gratitude that while the singles have a special spot, she is “so grateful that there doesn’t seem to be one specific song or part that people favor the most. [As] far as our live performances have gone, people seem awake and excited for all the songs from the record, which is wonderful.” This may be due, in no small part, to the album being the sonic encapsulation of restlessness, with restraint and release tugging back and forth on the wheel. The album never rests on its haunches, there is a sharpness that sees the band harnessing a new energy, and it’s noted by them as well:
“There are a number of moments in which I had something written, my way of playing and singing a part would seem resolved, and then someone else would bring a new arrangement of their part to the table (be it guitar, drums, or bass) and suddenly the whole section would be elevated, so much that I had to improve what I wrote to raise the whole song to that new standard. Actually, this would make me angry at first, how dare more be demanded of me??”
Quinlan’s words joke with a sting of the reality – the relinquishing of ego is uncomfortable and seems to be the missing piece that has fallen into place, forcing her to “rework what [she] had initially written to suit the improved part.” As much as the songs ring true to previous recordings, there are special touches to this record. Lines come in and out on instruments never previously utilized by the band, while vocal lines are added to fill out arrangements that produce a fullness that is felt when it is taken away.
“It was on this record that I finally discovered my ability to collaborate. Think of that. It took me years.” It’s this ability to acknowledge and self-reflect that is Quinlan’s strong-point. Within this album she has harnessed control and the surrender of it:
“I can say I was a different person when we all started working (March of 2016) than when we left Ryan’s studio on the final day of mixing. […] By the time you complete something, you are a different person at the end. Actually, the very experience of making something can change a person. I certainly felt different on the last day of mastering Bark Your Head Off, Dog, than I did the first day of recording. [..] In a way it’s a sort of impossible task [to keep the writing process the same], because in Hop Along’s case, I think we’re trying to keep up with the rate at which we change as artists and people. Trying to do that all together, to keep up with one another is a fun challenge, but one that usually ends up making the songs shift and change dramatically as we work on them.”
Letting things change, evolve past the original vision is an art form on its own. So often we seem to stumble upon our feet as we try to fight or embrace what time throws at us. Getting that balance right is where we look to Quinlan. Even her instrument, the human voice, is ever in flux, from both perspective and physical ability.
“As I age it’s going to change whether I want it to or not, so I just try to pay attention more to what it can do, rather than trying to force it as much as I used to. It’s a tool, it’s supposed to support the lyrics and the other instrumentation, I feel more aware of that now. For this record especially, I tried to focus on those elements, what they needed. The human voice so often gets in the way of what it wants to say.”
Perhaps Quinlan’s instrument forces a certain perspective, as she strives for what resonates the most to her; substance. Branching out from what she previously drew influence from has meant taking time to immerse herself in reading, listening, and observing. “I admired style too much when I was younger,” she states, summarizing much of our youthful tendencies. She cites Mark Knopfler being interviewed about the importance of journalism in his songwriting and the desire “to be a good observer, a good listener.” It’s these same tenements that serve as pillars of community building and compromise; ego must be surrendered for collective forward motion. “I struggle with both of these practices, I have a feeling I always will,” she acknowledges, displaying insight that I now expect from Quinlan, “I’m more aware of these deficiencies than I was when I started this project 14 years ago. I think that’s a major shift, one that is still occurring and I hope continues to improve.”
It is difficult to imagine a universe in which Hop Along back-track, their forward motion seems inevitable with their commitment to growth as musicians and people.
You can catch Hop Along performing with local boys Horse Jumper of Love at Paradise Rock Club on December 29th | 18+ | Facebook Event | Tickets