Painted Shut

Painted Shut
Studio album by
Hop Along
ReleasedMay 4, 2015
Recorded2015
Genre
Length39:54
LabelSaddle Creek
Producer
  • Hop Along
  • John Agnello
Hop Along chronology
Get Disowned
(2012) 		Painted Shut
(2015) 		Bark Your Head Off, Dog
(2018)

Painted Shut is the third studio album by American indie rock band Hop Along. It was co-produced, recorded and mixed by John Agnello in at Headroom Studios, in Philadelphia and Fluxivity Studios in Brooklyn, and released on May 4, 2015.[3]

Background and recording

[edit]

Lead vocalist Frances Quinlan stated that much of the album was tracked live.[4]

Composition

[edit]

Musical style

[edit]

Pitchfork likened the album's style to the "romantic, middle-American indie" of artists such as Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley, while crediting punk rock for the band's "energy".[5]

Lyrical content

[edit]

The album's lyrical subject matter addresses topics such as poverty, abuse and mental illness.[6]

The album's seventh track "Powerful Man" is based on an experience Quinlan had as a teenager, where they claim to have witnessed a young child being physically abused by their father.[7] Quinlan admitted that the track was the first time they had felt uneasy about sharing lyrics, due to their personal nature.

There’s part of me that thinks, is anyone going to care if I yell at this man? [...] There is something about parents hitting their kids, it’s just such a weird thing that we allow [...] The craziest thing was he saw us, looked us in the face, and had no reaction. It just didn’t register that we were any threat. And then he said “She’s not gonna help you.” He felt nothing that we were there. It in no way affected his behavior.

— Frances Quinlan

The tracks “Buddy in the Parade” and “Well-dressed” are based on the life of jazz musician Buddy Bolden, and the track “Horseshoe Crabs” is based on the life of folk musician Jackson C. Frank.[8][9]

Critical reception

[edit]

Allmusic awarded the album four-and-a-half stars, directing praise towards Frances Quinlan's vocal performance.

New Noise Magazine called the album well-rounded, saying "each song is just as powerful and quirky as the one before and after it."[10]

In 2017, Spin ranked Painted Shut #6 on their list of the emo revival's best albums. The site's Leor Galil saw it as the record where Hop Along "focused their frisson and aimed it towards pop", resulting in "hits only they could create."[2]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[11]
Metacritic87/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubA−[14]
Consequence of SoundB+[15]
Exclaim!9/10[16]
NME8/10[17]
Pitchfork7.9/10[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
Spin8/10[20]
Uncut8/10[21]
Vice (Expert Witness)A−[22]

Accolades

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Publication Accolade Year Rank
Vice The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015 8[23]
The A.V. Club The 15 Best Albums of 2015 2015 15[24]
Consequence Top 50 Albums of 2015 2015 44[25]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015 7[26]
Spin 30 Best Emo Revival Albums, Ranked 2017 6[2]
Pitchfork The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019 164[27]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."The Knock"3:33
2."Buddy in the Parade"3:47
3."Horseshoe Crabs"4:01
4."Waitress"3:33
5."Happy to See Me"4:35
6."Texas Funeral"4:28
7."Powerful Man"3:25
8."I Saw My Twin"3:23
9."Well-Dressed"4:02
10."Sister Cities"5:07

Charts

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Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[28] 10
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[29] 26
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 41

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Hop Along 'Painted Shut' Album Review". Rolling Stone. 5 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Spin staff (June 14, 2017). "30 Best Emo Revival Albums, Ranked". Spin. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Painted Shut". Saddle-creek.com.
  4. ^ "Interview: Hop Along discuss Painted Shut and world dominance - DrunkenWerewolf". Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  5. ^ "Hop Along: Painted Shut". Pitchfork.
  6. ^ "An Interview with Hop Along: With Eyes Painted Shut". Theaquarian.com. 2 October 2023.
  7. ^ "An Interview with Hop Along's Frances Quinlan". Bitchmedia.org.
  8. ^ McPherson, Steve (2015-06-03). "» Q&A: Hop Along's Frances Quinlan on the Band's New Album and the Art of Storytelling in Indie Rock". Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  9. ^ "Hop Along: 'It's Fun To Freak Out' | Soundcheck". WNYC Studios. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  10. ^ "Album Review: Hop Along - "Painted Shut"". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  11. ^ "Painted Shut by Hop Along reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Reviews for Painted Shut by Hop Along". Metacritic. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  13. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Painted Shut – Hop Along". AllMusic. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  14. ^ Anthony, David (April 21, 2015). "The genre-defying Hop Along isn't a "secret" anymore". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  15. ^ Cosores, Philip (May 6, 2015). "Hop Along – Painted Shut". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  16. ^ Williams, Matt (May 1, 2015). "Hop Along: Painted Shut". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  17. ^ "5 Great Albums That May Have Passed You By This Week". NME. April 27, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  18. ^ Powell, Mike (May 4, 2015). "Hop Along: Painted Shut". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  19. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 5, 2015). "Painted Shut". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  20. ^ Weiss, Dan (July 8, 2015). "SPIN Overlooked Albums Report: Hop Along Gives Us Palpitations, Mount Eerie Elevates the Mundane". Spin. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  21. ^ Snapes, Laura (July 2015). "Hop Along: Painted Shut". Uncut (218): 77.
  22. ^ Christgau, Robert (August 21, 2015). "Hopping Along Into a Girlpool". Vice. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  23. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | NOISEY". NOISEY. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  24. ^ "The 15 Best Albums Of 2015". The A.V. Club. The Onion. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  25. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2015". Consequence of Sound. December 1, 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  26. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". stereogum.com. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  27. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". pitchfork.com. October 8, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  28. ^ "Hop Along Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  29. ^ "Hop Along Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  30. ^ "Hop Along Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
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