It’s not often a touted Emo Pop-Punk Rock band manages to sprout up from the underground and into the veins of the mainstream pulse. The Manchester, UK duo behind Hot Milk have quickly honed in their style within their short four-year tenure, as evident by their politically fueled hit single ‘Candy Coated Lie$’ which garnished over 17M Spotify streams. No different, their debut album A Call To The Void (Music For Nations) doesn’t pull a single punch.

A stunning melodic and harmonized album lead-in track ‘Welcome To The…’ crescendos before diving and crashing into the sinister and pulsating ‘Horrorshow’. Its gritty punchy pace sets the landscape for lyrics that demand a stage and a spotlight.

‘Bloodstream’ shows the poppier side of the duo, but the theme of the band’s lyricism does not waver; it speaks to the truth of navigating unhealthy adoration. It was written in the early morning hours in L.A, and came from within them whole and complete. “Immediately we knew that this song was something different for us, yet had come from nowhere. One of the rare moments where the song jumped from the ether and wanted, nay, needed to be written,” lead singer/guitarist Hannah “Han” Mee shared. 

The playful and upbeat ‘Alice Cooper’s Pool House’ adds a bouncy carefree track to the album, and displays Hot Milk’s diversity and flexibility as they effortlessly meander in and out of genre styles.  

‘Over Your Dead Body’ stands out as the heaviest track of the album as it sees lead vocalist/guitarist Jim Shaw step into unclean vocals within the latter half of the vehemently bitter track. Surprisingly fleshed out with orchestral elements, it lends a balancing poetic flourish. The following track ‘Migraine’ sees Mee embrace her unclean vocals as well. 

The solemn pop rock album closer ‘Forget Me Not’ is a goodbye and burial of sorts, both of someone once held dear and to mark the ending of their debut album. The piano and synth gently hold the heartbreakingly sung lyrics “Where you go I can’t follow/ Gotta let you rest in peace”. 

The dichotomy of Han and Jim’s vocal tradeoff among their strong writing abilities help them stand apart from the field of bands on the current horizon. Hot Milk is a flower in the crack of the concrete from which it dares to grow.

Buy the album here:

https://hotmilk.lnk.to/ACallToTheVoid

8 / 10

JESSIE FRARY