Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
When the tracklist for this album was made public, one Reddit user dubbed it ‘Goofy ass song titles for songs that are about to make me cry’. They weren’t wrong. If Hot Mulligan were a feeling, they’d be that jittery mix of “I just spilled coffee on myself” and “actually, this is kind of brilliant.” Their fourth studio album, ‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still’, lands on 22nd August, 2025, via Wax Bodega, and it’s every bit as chaotic, clever, and unexpectedly tender as you might hope. The Michigan quintet have always thrived in the space between absurdity and sincerity, and this record proves they can do both without making you wish you’d just stayed in bed.
The album kicks off with ‘Moving to Bed Bug Island’, which drifts in like fog before slamming into ‘And a Big Load’ (fun fact – this was allegedly so named by the band so that any press articles relating to the track would read ‘Hot Mulligan Releases New Track, And A Big Load’. Classic.), a track that somehow manages to be both gloriously messy and meticulously composed. Yes, the music video is skatepark chaos, directed by Michael Herrick, and yes, it’s exactly as ridiculous and brilliant as you’d hope. Then there’s ‘Island in the Sun’, featuring Cory Castro of Free Throw, which drops a surprisingly tender moment into the mix, and ‘Milam Minute’, an acoustic breather that sneaks up on you with its quiet emotional punch.
Lyrically, this album is a rollercoaster of grief, awkwardness, and “did they really just say that?” moments. ‘Monica Lewinskibidi’ tackles the grief of Tades Sanville losing his grandmother, Bonnie, in the most Hot Mulligan way possible; “It’s 5am in Tokyo, half a world away / I’m sitting in a parking lot, you’re laying in your grave.” It’s heartbreaking, but somehow funny, too, because Hot Mulligan’s brand of sincerity never tips fully into sentimentality. They’ve always been masters of pairing absurd titles with real human emotion, and here it is in full effect.
The penultimate track, ‘Slumdog Scungillionaire’ is basically the band winking at you, mashing up riffs and lyrics from across the album into a shifting, soft-to-loud masterpiece that keeps you guessing. And just when you think it’s over, ‘My Dad Told Me To Write A Nice One For Nana So Here It Is’ closes things out with the kind of sweet, ridiculous poignancy only Hot Mulligan could pull off.
This record is a step up for the band. Not that they were ever coasting. The title itself hints at paranoia, fear, and overthinking, and the album runs with that, marrying tighter production with the raw energy of their early chaos. Tour-wise, they’re hitting the road with ‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still Tour’, joined by Drug Church, Arm’s Length, and Anxious. They’ve got festival slots at Bonnaroo and Slam Dunk Festival, and they’re squeezing in a UK arena tour with Pierce the Veil. In short, the band is everywhere you want them to be, and a few places you didn’t know you needed them.
‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still’ is quintessential Hot Mulligan; ridiculous, heartfelt, and occasionally terrifying. It proves they can grow without losing the scrappy, chaotic charm that made them the band everyone quietly cheers for in emo-pop-punk circles. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s loud, and it’s brilliant – basically, just like Hot Mulligan themselves.
KATHRYN EDWARDS
The album kicks off with ‘Moving to Bed Bug Island’, which drifts in like fog before slamming into ‘And a Big Load’ (fun fact – this was allegedly so named by the band so that any press articles relating to the track would read ‘Hot Mulligan Releases New Track, And A Big Load’. Classic.), a track that somehow manages to be both gloriously messy and meticulously composed. Yes, the music video is skatepark chaos, directed by Michael Herrick, and yes, it’s exactly as ridiculous and brilliant as you’d hope. Then there’s ‘Island in the Sun’, featuring Cory Castro of Free Throw, which drops a surprisingly tender moment into the mix, and ‘Milam Minute’, an acoustic breather that sneaks up on you with its quiet emotional punch.
Lyrically, this album is a rollercoaster of grief, awkwardness, and “did they really just say that?” moments. ‘Monica Lewinskibidi’ tackles the grief of Tades Sanville losing his grandmother, Bonnie, in the most Hot Mulligan way possible; “It’s 5am in Tokyo, half a world away / I’m sitting in a parking lot, you’re laying in your grave.” It’s heartbreaking, but somehow funny, too, because Hot Mulligan’s brand of sincerity never tips fully into sentimentality. They’ve always been masters of pairing absurd titles with real human emotion, and here it is in full effect.
The penultimate track, ‘Slumdog Scungillionaire’ is basically the band winking at you, mashing up riffs and lyrics from across the album into a shifting, soft-to-loud masterpiece that keeps you guessing. And just when you think it’s over, ‘My Dad Told Me To Write A Nice One For Nana So Here It Is’ closes things out with the kind of sweet, ridiculous poignancy only Hot Mulligan could pull off.
This record is a step up for the band. Not that they were ever coasting. The title itself hints at paranoia, fear, and overthinking, and the album runs with that, marrying tighter production with the raw energy of their early chaos. Tour-wise, they’re hitting the road with ‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still Tour’, joined by Drug Church, Arm’s Length, and Anxious. They’ve got festival slots at Bonnaroo and Slam Dunk Festival, and they’re squeezing in a UK arena tour with Pierce the Veil. In short, the band is everywhere you want them to be, and a few places you didn’t know you needed them.
‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still’ is quintessential Hot Mulligan; ridiculous, heartfelt, and occasionally terrifying. It proves they can grow without losing the scrappy, chaotic charm that made them the band everyone quietly cheers for in emo-pop-punk circles. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s loud, and it’s brilliant – basically, just like Hot Mulligan themselves.
KATHRYN EDWARDS