May 06, 2025
Lily Smith/The Register via USA TODAY NETWORK
Mt. Joy frontman Matt Quinn, pictured above performing in Iowa in 2024, talks about the band's Philly connections, their upcoming album 'Hope We Have Fun,' and ending their tour with two hometown shows at the Mann Center in September.
Ending Mt. Joy's latest tour with two nights at the Mann Center in September is a "huge coup" for frontman and East Kensington resident Matt Quinn, partially because he'll only have to drive 20 minutes on Girard Avenue to get home. But it's also one of his favorite places to play because of the energy of the crowd.
"I can say, with no homerism, that Philadelphia is at the top of the pile each time we play there, just in terms of the positive and electric energy that they bring to fandom," Quinn said. "Now, there's more of an excitement to go to places like Philadelphia, where you just know that (the fans) are going to do everything on their end to make it possible to have a really special night of music."
Quinn, who met Mt. Joy co-founder Sam Cooper at Conestoga High School in Chester County, has stayed close to his Philly roots. When he's is not on tour, Quinn is a self-proclaimed foodie and his favorite spots in the area are Laser Wolf, Wm. Mulherin’s Sons, Royal Sushi & Izakaya, and Kalaya. And yes, the Philly sports fan was at the Super Bowl celebration on Broad Street.
The five-member indie rock band's upcoming album, "Hope We Have Fun," was also largely recorded at Spice House Sound studio in Fishtown. Quinn said the record, which will be released May 30, is all about the band's journey since forming in 2016 in Los Angeles.
"Some of the story lines are really just what it's like to achieve your goal and realize that you put in all this work and you've sacrificed so much to get to a place and you kind of look at each other and you're like, 'I hope it's worth it,'" Quinn said. "This is our lives now. We've rearranged all of the furniture; I hope we like the way this looks."
Chris Day/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesMt. Joy will release its fourth album on May 30. The band's co-founders, Sam Cooper, left, and Matt Quinn, shown on-stage during a 2024 performance in Memphis, met while at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Chester County.
Over the past nine years, Mt. Joy has headlined several tours of growing sizes and released three albums, "Mt. Joy," "Rearrange Us" and "Orange Blood." They've collaborated with the Head and the Heart, Maren Morris and the Philly Specials – a trio of former Eagles Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. For this album, they've kicked off a national tour and released five singles to warm reception.
One of Quinn's favorites is "God Loves Weirdos," which opens with a piano part from Jackie Miclau and references finding a funny T-shirt at a gas station in the middle of the night. He said the track eventually turned into a marriage of the ideas of the goofiness and laughter that can come with love, the joy of working together and spending half their time traveling from city to city for tours.
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"There is romance in these really strange places because you're constantly on the move," Quinn said. "Sometimes I think the things that make you realize you're in love or strengthen bonds or whatever are just laughter at 4 a.m. in a gas station."
After working together and producing music for nearly a decade, Quinn said Mt. Joy feels like a grassroots band that's slowly built up a presence. While they've had hits like "Silver Lining" and "Dirty Love," he noted that the band's rise in popularity has been more of a slow burn rather than an overnight success story. At the same time, he said it still feels a little crazy that the fans enjoy the music so much, and the group is always focused on not losing that momentum.
The band will be continuing that push as they take its new record on the road. Quinn said he's eager to share the album, which he said feels a little more mature than their others.
"Each time we get a chance to get together and record an album, it feels like we've taken a step up," Quinn said. "It feels like the team has stuck together and the outcome of that is that we're making better music. The best music we've ever made, really."
