Philly’s excellent Hop Along have released a full stream of their upcoming LP Painted Shut on Youtube. The album features 10 tracks of their pleasantly hard-hitting indie pop.
This album, the first since 2012’s Get Disowned, includes the distinctive tone addition of Joe Reinhart (former Algernon Cadwallader); he functions somewhat like a foil for the straight-laced guitar pop-yness that was often prevalent in earlier albums, and he provides a massive benefit to Hop Alongs always fantastic songwriting. There is much to love on the album, the bumping “Horseshoe Crabs” pairs a thumping drum line with massive riffs from Reinhart and Frances Quinlan, and “Sister Cities”, the final cut on the album, is a re-up on the hybrid brightest-corner-of-a-punk-house-basement sound that has made them noteworthy. As always, Quinlan’s distinctive shouts and growls stand out in the best way possible; her vocals sound unlike anyone else, and carry a heft that belie the grace with which she jumps around vocally throughout the album. As an added bonus Painted Shut seems to be the spring-iest album yet from Hop Along, full of moments that are as welcoming as the season itself and beg for outdoor listens.
You can pre-order Painted Shut via Saddle Creek and stream the album in full below.
