Hot Milk‘s debut album has been a long time coming. After a trilogy of EPs and endless successes both on stage and off, the Manchester duo almost deserve a record that reflects their power, and A Call To The Void is almost just that.
Renowned for their catchy choruses and stunning production, A Call To The Void is the most Hot Milk product they have ever released.
Once again, their emo party anthems are easily boppable, with Party on my Deathbed and Horror Show filling the hole that Candy Coated Lie$ first opened.
Likewise, Zoned Out is a stunner that deserves your attention on its third and fourth listens.
Han Mee’s voice, particularly, is spectacular throughout the entire 11-track record. She consistently and frequently shows off just how talented she is in nuanced ways. From raucous, powerful choruses (Bloodstream) and delicate verses (Forget Me Not), she is a force to be reckoned with, reminiscent of such powerhouses as Brendan Yates. (And stick around for that utterly brutal verse in Migraine, you’ll want to repeat that a few times).
Buy Hot Milk – A Call To The Void here
Mee is becoming the muscle of Hot Milk, and her energy is electrifying – even through shoddy headphones.
Jim Shaw isn’t sitting on his hands, though. Having recorded and produced this record (more or less) completely alone, it’s very plain to see how formidable he is becoming as a producer.
From every thick bass fill and lightning-hot guitar lick to the levels on every instrument, Shaw has pored over every second of this album and it shows.
Forget Me Not and Party On My Deathbed prove to the industry that he isn’t afraid to blend genres, using masterful knowledge to make it work.
It’d surprise me if Shaw’s talents aren’t utilised everywhere else in the industry in the coming years because A Call To The Void is a perfect CV for him.
Not everything on A Call To The Void is an instant hit for Hot Milk, though.
Beginning with the fruitless opening introductory track, “Welcome To The…”, Hot Milk – unfortunately – filled the record with some gap-fillers.
Buy Hot Milk – A Call To The Void here
Over Your Dead Body is a particularly dim moment in the record. Rather than utilising the intelligent and witty lyrical prowess the duo are known for, they instead delve into lazy metaphors (“You think you walk on water but it’s p**s all over your shoes”) that are simply not representative of the band’s greatness (despite the amazing string work demonstrated in the bed of the music).
Likewise, Alice Cooper’s Pool House is a baffling inclusion to the record. It feels like an in-joke that went too far, with a forgettable structure and lyrics that feel, in some places, half-cooked.
These three entries to A Call To The Void feel a little rushed in an effort to fill out the tracklist (I could easily be wrong, though). Either way, I feel they’ll become quick skips for most fans.
Thankfully, there is a lot to love in A Call To The Void.
Amphetamine is a sleeper hit that will likely grow in popularity the more the band play it live. And, with an incredible feature slot from Loveless’ Julian Comeau, it’s sure to become a cult hit with the wider music scene.
Likewise, Bloodstream and Breathing Underwater are fantastic entries to the album. With the former dropping the catchiest chorus of the record with some profound and meaningful lyrics, this is one Hot Milk will lean on in the coming years.
Breathing Underwater is the crowning jewel of A Call To The Void. Like a wound bleeding over a piano, its lyrics are – quite obviously – the most real Mee and Shaw have ever put on record, and you can feel their intentions viscerally (“Feels like I’m failing / I’m dancing while drowning alone”).
These are the types of songs their fans have come to expect – catchy, powerful, emotional, and full of drama.
Hot Milk have delivered an excellent batch of songs with their debut album. Not every single track on the record lands as intended, but it is the first step into the rest of their career, and they should be proud of what they’ve done.
Hot Milk – A Call To The Void is out now.
