Who is Hop Along? Hailing from Philadelphia, this band just released their sophomore record Painted Shut at the beginning of May. The album showcases the four-piece’s ability to bridge the sincerity and energy of punk with the softer side of rock.
“Waitress” instantly captures the listener with intricate guitar work, but what defines this track are the raw vocals of frontwoman Frances Quinlan. How does she do it? By releasing a slew of elegant screeches. Although the phrase “elegant screeches” sounds ironic, this method effectively expresses her emotion. As discussed with Philadelphia radio station The Key, the story behind “Waitress” is tied to Quinlan’s time working at bars and restaurants. It describes “one of the first times when I looked at somebody and felt the distaste in the air.”
Her screeches are incredibly expressive of that pain. The vocals emanate the humiliation and sadness and pain that she felt at that time, allowing the listener to relive her experiences. The gradual build up throughout “Waitress” culminates when she cries: “And I’ll share a very common poverty, a common kind, a common kind, it’s a very common kind.”
By the end, Quinlan exhibits a release of these emotions and an acceptance. “Waitress” is abrasive, but in doing so it impeccably reveals the Quinlan’s pain and resolution of her suffering.