Hop Along - “Powerful Man” (Official Video)

Hop Along released their excellent new album, Painted Shut, today, along with this animated video for the single “Powerful Man.” Painted Shut spews instrumental pop sensibilities, with any potential to sound saccharine thwarted by Frances Quinlan’s distinct vocal rasp and knee-to-the-gut lyrical honesty. Throughout Hop Along’s new record, Quinlan sounds really fucking angry, and nowhere is that more apparent than on “Powerful Man.” This is a song about feeling powerless in the face of authority, about realizing that you are incapable of fighting back against microcosmic injustices that reflect unbalanced power structures in the larger scale. The accompanying video is a chaotic, rapid-fire illustration of the rage that comes with realizing that you’re small, defenseless. The video was painted, printed, and animated by Quinlan, Cat Park, and Craig Scheihing.