“Under a bright light you’d find every crooked line I’ve got.”
Michigan-based, self-proclaimed ‘post-emo’ powerhouses Hot Mulligan are back again with their third album Why Would I Watch, and to cut to the chase and answer the question asked by the album’s title – you’d watch (or rather, listen) because the album is actually very good, and more than deserving of your attention. Standing as easily their most ambitious release, Hot Mulligan really show off what they’re made of across Why Would I Watch, and cement their place in the scene with their own unique sound, and some stellar songwriting.
Right off the bat, I want to highlight the vocals on this release. Lead vocalist Nathan Sanville’s range is really put to use on this album, and it definitely pays off. He aptly demonstrates that he can comfortably deliver dreamy cleans, punchy screams, and, at times, fiery barked vocals – all of which he does whilst retaining the characteristics of his rather unique voice – something that far too many pop-punk acts fail to retain.
Another core strength of this album is that it truly seems to have something for everyone. Want some blood-pumping skater-punk tunes? You got it! How about some Midwest Emo inspired, punchy ballads? Sure, they’re all yours! How about some softer stuff, more atmospheric? Yeah, okay, that’s on here too! And (pretty much) all of these styles are executed successfully.
There’s plenty of examples on here, though, of tracks wherein Hot Mulligan nail exactly what they set out for. The most poignant example of this would be “Shhhh! Golf Is On”, which encapsulates everything fun about pop-punk, and truly showcases the band’s skills in excellent fashion. If you’ve not already heard this one (and I have no idea how you haven’t if you’re reading this), then it’s a must-listen. It’s an earworm for sure, with an insanely catchy chorus, and some wonderfully danceable riffs and drumwork.
That said, this release isn’t flawless by any means, and, sadly, some of the flawed aspects on here really detract from the rest of the album. Take fourth track, “This Song Is Called It’s What’s It Called“, for example. This is one of the more experimental cuts on the album, attempting to blend old school Midwest Emo with a more modern pop-punk sound. Sadly, it doesn’t come together all too well, and ends up feeling crowded and lost. This isn’t helped by it being the longest track on the release, which leads to it really overstaying its welcome.
Late-album track “Gans Media Retro Games” also sadly detracts from the album somewhat, which makes it all the more baffling that this was the second track the band chose to promote the record. The track suffers from being surrounded by plenty of catchy, fun tunes, and simply falls short of becoming anything particularly memorable. Instrumentally, it’s consistent and fitting with the rest of the album, but vocally, it’s a lot harsher, and that makes it really stand out amongst the rest and breaks up the flow considerably.
Conversely, opening numbers “Shouldn’t Have A Leg Hole But I Do” and “It’s A Family Movie She Hates Her Dad” both showcase perfectly the band’s ability to produce fun, catchy pop-punk songs, whilst incorporating Midwest Emo, and, to a degree, elements of post-hardcore into their writing. These tracks really set the stage for the album, and show off a large spread of the band’s range. There’s so much going on across these two tracks that it’s hard to cover it all, but somehow it all blends incredibly well. There are mathy riffs, punky double-times, Sanville’s signature half scream/half sung vocals accompanied by your more typical pop-punk backing vocals, and much more, encapsulating almost everything this band does well.
One of the glaringly obvious things to gleam from Why Would I Watch upon initial examination are the absurd track names. Now, yes, they have absolutely nothing to do with the songs themselves, but there’s something so distinctly Hot Mulligan; so distinctly fun in these titles that I can’t help but love them. My personal favourite is that of the closer “John “The Rock” Cena, Can You Smell What The Undertaker.” Of course, this name, amongst many of the others here mean almost nothing, but they’re eye-catching enough to be notable when attached to the songs they are.
The writing juxtaposes these names perfectly, with the band clearly maturing since their previous releases, instead penning some more emotional pieces lyrically that centre around themes of family, relationships, loss, and heartbreak, and simply wrapping them up in a comedically-themed outer shell to provide a quick laugh and sense of lightheartedness in a place where, otherwise, there often wouldn’t be much.
“Betty” is a prime example of this ethos. It’s a slow, acoustic track that is lyrically focused on a character, Betty, contracting an illness and, eventually, passing away over the COVID lockdown period. But, there’s more to it than that. As the song progresses, we come to learn that Betty was not actually a person, but a pet. This somehow, and clearly intentionally comes across as funny, whilst still retaining the raw sadness of the song, in a way that proves to be quite special and effective. This is something that Hot Mulligan nail across the majority of the release, they retain their funny, frat-boy style whilst also clearly maturing as a band and putting out some of their best work yet.
Hot Mulligan are a band that have been on my radar for some time, and, while have been putting out some decent work for some years, it truly feels that on this release that they have realised their potential. I firmly believe that with the release of Why Would I Watch, Hot Mulligan will cement themselves as one of the top bands in the genre, and will no doubt go on to do great things.
8/10
Why Would I Watch is due for release this Friday, May 12th via Wax Bodega, and is available to pre-order here.