you'll be fine - Hot Mulligan

For some people, certain genres feel very time specific. They correspond with a period of time in your life and capture feelings or memories in a vivid manner. This results from a multitude of things, from other people who listen to said genre or the impact certain songs or albums have during tumultuous periods. One that seems common is the nature of the music itself. With me, there are a few genres that are linked with periods of my life, but one that stands out in that last category is pop-punk. This is by no means a diss of pop-punk or meant to say who can or can't listen to it. But I know that pop-punk had a much bigger impact in my life during my last couple years of college and the first year after. For me, those years were filled with a lot of changes in many aspects of my life. I was growing a lot, but was also still quite young (something I'm realizing more and more as I get older). I often times had a lot of angst or struggled with entering adulthood and all the baggage that comes along with that. So what better music to turn to than pop-punk? I enjoyed groups like State Champs, Knuckle Puck, Real Friends, and a handful of others. I saw several shows, and did Warped Tour in the summers of 2014 and 2016. But even by that point, I was reaching the end of my pull towards the genre. It wasn't that I didn't like the music as much, but it didn't have the same impact as it used to. I wasn't relating to it in the same manner that I was before. I still followed those bands, checking out their latest releases and enjoying them. It just wasn't with the same perspective anymore (although Real Friends' last album was top-notch). So imagine my surprise when I come across a band named Hot Mulligan via Spotify. hey came up in one of my suggested playlists, which I usually try to browse through. Between the band's name and the name of the song, "*Equip Sunglasses*", I was intrigued. I listened to it and found a different sound than expected - the names left me inclined more towards a nerdy kind of alt-rock. Instead, I found a pop-punk with a more aggressive nature, very raw and unfiltered in its sound. The vocals were the biggest initial draw, with the lead singer switching between more melodic vocals and throat shredding screaming. It was unexpected, but worked well for the music that I was hearing. It was a tight sound, a band that clearly knew what they were doing. I went on to check out the rest of the album, and found this weird mixture of nostalgia and the unknown. There were elements that felt expected and common for the genre, but the energy felt different. It didn't feel like a band following a trend or trying to fit a mold - they were making honest music, telling stories and conveying lessons of life. The more I listened, the more I understood why it resonated so much. There weren't the same sort of age specific references as a lot of the pop-punk I had listened to before. This wasn't about high school or hating your hometown. This was music about life, both past and present, and felt much more relatable to my own personal life. One of the things I found enjoyable about the album was the mix of songs. There were a lot of fast tempo, heavier songs full of screams and guitars and drums that were loud and all you'd expect of pop-punk. But there were also songs that slowed things down, stripped the music down to something more vulnerable, something still raw but in a soft way. Songs like "Green Squirrel In Pretty Bad Shape" exemplify this well. The song starts softer,with more mellow vocals, but builds into a more intense instrumental with the scream-singing that is signature for this album. The lyrics even show a sense of vulnerability, with vocalists Tades Sanville and Chris Freeman singing lines like these in the chorus: "Wish I could take back times that I pushed you away Choked up and leaving you, I'm so sorry Forgive me not, forget me please It was just a dream, it's just that" or the second half of the second verse: "Oh, we'd lie to your family Getting older now, I think Maybe they were right about me This can't be it". Both of these sets of lyrics reveal aspects about the subject, that the narrator has thought a lot about the past and who he was during that time. The last two lines of the second verse are especially indicative of growth and understanding. It's hard to come to terms with who you were in the past sometimes. We're not perfect, and we can make unwise decisions, especially in the throes of youth. Another song that falls into this softer, more vulnerable category, is "Analog Fade (New Bule Sky)". It maintains the same level of energy for the duration of the song. It never gets super intense or too chill, but sees the narrator coping with a potential loss. In an interview with AltPress, Sanville said this song "is hypothetical" and was him getting his thoughts out about the possibility of his now-fiance going to grad school and having to move away from him. I do love the harder hitting songs, though. They have so much energy, and each listen and closer examination reveals far more under the surface than I would have expected. Part of that may be from getting a better understanding of what the band is actually singing/screaming, but the lyrics are also more layered and nuanced. Songs like "Feal Like Crab" and "The Song Formerly Known As Intro" have emerged as my favorites, both for different reasons. "Feal Like Crab" is infectious from the start, with a great set of chords and riffs that are bright and fun, and the vocals continue the momentum. The contrast of the chorus, where everything comes down, is something I always enjoy. It defies expectations by inverting the softer and harder moments in a clever and engaging manner. "The Song Formerly Known As Intro" feels like the most unique song of the album, with a drawn out intro that explodes with sound and emotion. It's the perfect way to finish this album. While this is not the band's first album, it's my first exposure to them and it's got me hooked. I love the music, I love the relatability of the lyrics, and I love the way they managed to take a genre that can be very formulaic at times and make it fresh. I haven't yet checked out their other work, but I plan on it and highly recommend this group. You can check out the album here as well as their other releases. Recommended: "Feals Like Crab", "Green Squirrel In Pretty Bad Shape", "The Song Formerly Known As Intro" For Fans Of: Tiny Moving Parts, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck