“Waitress,” a song not about my own full-time part-time gig, kicks off as a lead-up to Hop Along’s sophomore album Painted Shut. Frances Quinlan’s raw, hoarse vocals on this loud and intense track elevate it to instant punk classic status, a sure sign of big things to come for the Philly group.

Painted Shut will comprise of a series of vignettes, with many of the tracks focusing on musicians Buddy Bolden and Jackson C. Frank. So think of it as a novel of short stories, enhanced by Hop Along’s awesome folk punk.

Hop Along tour with The War on Drugs this Spring and continue into the summer following the LP release. Painted Shut is out May 5.