Album Review: Hot Milk - 'A Call To The Void'
When the void comes calling, it’s up to Hot Milk to answer. This is the story of the Manchester rockers’ descent into depression and ascent into punk legend status.
Starting with the appropriately titled intro track ‘Welcome To The…’, the first full song is the lead single ‘Horror Show’. This was the band’s first taste of A Call To The Void, as well as a hint towards a darker and heavier future in sight. This would be a theme they keep up throughout the record and with a mix of that bittersweet pop-rock combination they’ve built since their debut in 2019; bringing their old with their new, the possibilities are endless. There is nothing stopping them and nothing should.
Hot Milk pride themselves on being a fully fleshed out band with the help of each other; a working-class band with working-class pride and definitely a working-class ethic. Every track is a personal and relatable story of pain, isolation, anger, and in this case, pettiness. ‘Over Your Dead Body’ is one of those tongue-in-cheek tracks that was shaped through here-and-now experiences that were allowed to be felt and allowed to be dissected for the sake of art and therapy. It is a rage room of an anthem, leading through with a catchy stomping percussion beat alongside insult after insult that are presented the only way this northern collective can: in beautiful bittersweet poetry.
Taken from reaching their own limit with holier-than-thou nobodies that always crop up in everyday life, this is an example where every single emotion is let loose along the neck of an electric guitar and the metal of the microphone. This is through the interesting screams and yells to the heavens by frontpeople Han Mee and Jim Shaw: as fascinating as the blue skies above, while as rough and dirty as their no-rules attitudes. This is the new award-winning Hot Milk formula, and it strikes gold in every bar.
This also leads into ‘Breathing Underwater’, one of the more sombre songs that feature upon A Call To The Void. This track is a prime example of what brings Hot Milk and their overly dedicated fan base together: trust of sharing pain and sadness beyond what words can describe. The group are all humans with real feelings, real emotions and valid thoughts; all of which they share with their hundreds if not thousands of fans day by day, night by night. Being so open and candid about this in the way only they can present is what can bring fans to shows, sales to merchandise desks, and most importantly, rejuvenated hope and resilience in their hearts and souls.
Through every step of the way, from the release of debut EP Are You Feeling Alive? to this debut full-length, Hot Milk have always loved and accepted their ever growing fanbase. Love and nurturing is sometimes the only way to keep life living, and this is a mutual understanding between both parties in the concept. In this example, both the band and their fans are sharing these aspects in spades, and the reception over the years is the proof.
Hot Milk do nothing more than nurture and embrace the people who got them to the biggest stages around the country, and the courtesy and gratitude show time after time. With the daunting task of bringing a debut album to the masses, there is no doubt there is a security blanket to land on when the heights increase and the odds slim down.
There is a call to the void. Don’t ignore it. Embrace the void.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
