EP Review: Hot Milk - 'The King And Queen Of Gasoline'
Reclaiming power and celebrating being a bad influence, Hot Milk’s ‘The King And Queen Of Gasoline’ captures the importance of having a thirst for life and being unapologetically yourself.
August 5th sees Hot Milk set to release their latest EP ‘The King And Queen Of Gasoline’ which follows on from their 2019 EP ‘Are You Feeling Alive?’ and their 2021 EP ‘I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD,’ which not only have 30 million streams, but also saw them secure tours with the likes of the Foo Fighters, The Band Camino and Pale Waves.
‘The King And Queen Of Gasoline’ is the EP’s opening track, and with it Han Mee and Jim Shaw’s vocals work together seamlessly to set the tone for the rest of the EP. This EP very much creates a storyline about overcoming challenges in life, such as resisting the control parents or even relationships have over us and even how they may have made us feel judged or expected to act a certain way. A lyric that stands out from the title track is “I’m not the child that you planned,” which may be something that many listeners can relate to whether it was something they’ve been told by their parents before, or perhaps it was something that they have thought themselves. There is something particularly comforting about this track, to know that we’re not alone in our battles against these thoughts of not being good enough.
Hot Milk released the EP’s first single ‘Bad Influence’ earlier this year on the 29th of March. The track, with its perfect balance of pop and the band’s familiar brand of edginess, established the promise of an amazing EP prior to its release on August 5th and it did not disappoint. Speaking about the track, Han explained that “we’ve been told we’ve been a bad influence since we were kids, so you know what? Maybe we are. But it’s only ‘cause we have a thirst for life and go against the traditional,” which is maybe something a lot of their listeners can relate to, and may have heard their parents or other adults in their life say to them.
July 14th saw the release of the single “I Fell In Love With Someone I Shouldn’t,’ Shaw explained that the track wasn’t a love song and that “this is revenge. Han started writing this at 16 and we revisited it and made it into a heartbreak anthem that is not about wallowing, it’s about getting your own back.”
He also added that “this is a song about reclaiming power from an abusive relationship and coming back twice as strong, maybe overly. They won’t fuck with you again.”
‘Chlorophorm Nightmares’ brings the EP to a close and it feels like the perfect track was chosen to fill that role. The track captures the emotions of the EP and brings a feeling of catharsis when listening to it, is this what it feels like to finally feel like someone understands you?
2022 already looks like it is going to be Hot Milk’s year with the amazing things they have achieved so far like making an appearance on the US talk show Jimmy Kimmel and playing at festivals such as Sad Summer Fest and Lollapalooza. Alongside the release of their EP, Hot Milk are gearing up to tour with State Champs in Australia this September and later will be joining Blackbear’s EU/UK tour in October.
Words by Bethany Ellis
