Hop Along is the kind of punk outfit that other punk bands might not want to stand too close to. They almost tend to make intensity look a bit too effortless. Their instrumentals are fairly understated, and Frances Quinlan vocal stylings are a bit more Tegan and Sara than your typical punk outfit. Yet they take that fairly toned-down musical style and explore it with an almost incomprehensible fury. Soulful lyrics are shrieked, while mellow harmonies are shredded rather than strummed. Hop Along takes this somber little vehicle, and drives it at Mach speed. But to really get the appeal, you have to see them live. The band put out a damn good album in Get Disowned, but recordings just don’t do the group justice. Hop Along is that perfect juxtaposition of sweet and vicious, somber and energetic that you don’t get to see very often these days. (You can view the rest of The Deli Philly’s Best of 2013 Emerging Artists list HERE.) – Daniel Ludwig
