Hop Along gets Union Transfer excited for what the band has in store

Philadelphia indie staples Hop Along have been laying low in recent months as they work on a follow-up to 2012’s hugely successful and critically acclaimed LP Get Disowned. However, the band came out of hiding this summer to play a few dates with Owls, one of the many projects of emo heavyweights Tim and Mike Kinsella.

The band, who went from a three piece to a four piece last year, completely revamped their live performance, as we saw at Union Transfer on Monday: Hop Along of 2014 is heavier, louder and more impressive then ever before. It was always a great live band, but its new live sound is really something special. The set started with frontwoman Frances Quinlan preforming “Trouble Found Me” solo; the performance was beautifully haunting and left me with chills. The band then joined her onstage for a breathtaking set.

Three new songs were on the setlist. These fast and hooky tracks got everyone excited, especially since they have only released one new song – “Sister Cities,” via Shaking Through – in the past two years. Hop Along recently announced that they will be opening the second half of mewithoutYou’s 10th Anniversary Tour alongside Appleseed Cast. As far as new music is concerned, the band has not announced any release dates yet. However, you can be assured that whenever the album comes out, it will be worth the wait.