Review Summary: high out of my mind on orange fanta // don't call my mum

Good times end, but droning guitars can make them feel like forever. That's a key part of the promise behind shoegaze, and one of the reasons it's such a go-to genre to wallow in – yet in the hands of Hotline TNT, its appeal is less the slow release of a daydream and much more the pep and buzz of a twelve-year-old in the company of too many sugary beverages and chart pop ecstasy at whichsoever local rich kid's over-attended birthday party: prosaic delights upscaled into a rare treat. Much like those parties, their latest record Cartwheel is ultimately an excellent time, setting itself apart against the gazillion bands that offer some version of the same experience through palpably invigorated performances, stellar production that maximises both noise and polish without ever suggesting that either was prioritised at the expense of the other, and the occasional unexpected flourish – "Out of Town" warps its central guitar hook into a live-wire flicker, while "Spot Me 100" takes a leaf from Sobs' book and introduces gratuitous breakbeats for an extra rush. Both are instant highlights. Cartwheel expunges the customary languor of shoegaze with generous levels of energy, amplifying the time-altering Wall of Fuzz that good gaze lives and wheezes on while avoiding some of its most obvious tropes – "I Know You" is the only track here that dips into the classic trem-bar swoon. For those who like their thrills to have a pronounced yet wholesome relationship with their blood sugar levels, this is as good as it's been as of late (see also: Marnie Stern's The Comeback Kid, released on the same day).

Also like those vanilla-plus children's parties, Cartwheel tries a little too hard to cling to the moment. "That Was My Life" is exactly the kind of flabby interlude that albums around the 30-minute mark (i.e. this one) usually have the foresight to exclude, while on the other hand the album's appeal is so unabashedly oriented around short, sharp bursts of more or less the same kind of gratification that it suffers palpably (though far from fatally) from diminishing returns across a full listen. Its central songwriting formula is a sturdy, if simple one, and while it is largely responsible for no-frills pop glory as on "I Thought You'd Change" and "BMX", the band are easily confident enough in it that a small handful of minor departures may have gone a long way in revitalising the core appeal. Frontman Will Anderson's best monotone drawl does little to remedy this throughout the record – 80% of the time it's a perfect match, and then suddenly it's time to go home (and you bet your arse the carpool hero mum of the hour still has this on).

None of which is to say that Cartwheel ain't addictive: sugar is sugar, and the record's bitesize pacing renders 'digest' and 'binge' interchangeable notions. Neither is it entirely shot of depth, thanks to a strong melancholic undertone that renders the band's self-description as music to listen to after redownloading hinge a dead ringer if you look for it ("Protocol", "Maxine"); good times end can just as easily be ending or ended if you that's the cut of your jib. Anyhow, it's hard to be overly harsh on the band for getting too hung up on a good thing, even if there's a missing something holding Cartwheel back from knockout excellence. Get your twelve-year-old into it; be your own twelve-year-old to it; ravage yourself on caffeine with it. No use raising the ceiling on unabashed comfort jams when we're all inside generating) honing an impending adolescence's worth of terrible dance moves.




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user ratings (63)
3.7
great

Comments:Add a Comment 
JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
November 12th 2023


62343 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

thanks for the proofsave Sint / Jesper get better-happier-freer soon / melltuga your prayers have been answered (but plz learn the difference between sput- and sowing- core!)

Jash
November 12th 2023


5215 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Sick tones



*yawns*

Digging: Geordie Greep - The New Sound

Slex
November 12th 2023


17255 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Spot Me 100 really is a banger

Digging: Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia

Zac124
November 12th 2023


3108 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

this was very ok.

Slex
November 12th 2023


17255 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Closing trio of songs make this close to a 3.5 for me

Zac124
November 12th 2023


3108 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Yeah, the last three songs here were definitely the highlights.

Jash
November 13th 2023


5215 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I got more bored as it went on, mainly because the first track hit me so hard and the rest felt like a replica. Maybe the tail end will hit harder after further listens

JesperL
Staff Reviewer
November 13th 2023


5664 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

thank you

Slex
November 13th 2023


17255 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

A 5???

theBoneyKing
November 13th 2023


24673 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Nice one, this is very good though hasn't quite clicked with me on the whole as much as I hoped. That said, "I Thought You'd Change" is glorious and immediately became one of my all-time favorite gaze songs.

proscett
November 13th 2023


102 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

i thought you'd change and BMX are sooo good

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
November 13th 2023


6175 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Glad to see this get a review, nice one Johnny!

JohnnyoftheWell
Staff Reviewer
November 13th 2023


62343 Comments

Album Rating: 3.7

Lfg!!

That feckin hook-flicker in "Out of Town" getting me so buzzed aah

Slex
November 13th 2023


17255 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

BMX probably my favorite yeah Proscett

Jash
November 13th 2023


5215 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Upon second listen Beauty Filter and History Channel are the standouts for me, whole thing still strikes me as pretty bland though

pizzamachine
November 14th 2023


27668 Comments


Good rev don’t delete your account

henryChinaski
November 15th 2023


5094 Comments


loving that artwork, simple but awesome

KimboSlice
November 15th 2023


2 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Whole record is great. People keep calling this shoegaze , but tbh I never thought of it as that until someone else put it that way. I feel like it side steps a lot of the bad parts of the genre. Borrowing more from lo-fi, punk, and bedroom pop. Much fun was had. Technically nothing super remarkable (though it is a solo project), but the vibes and aesthetic value are off the charts.

myri14
November 29th 2023


249 Comments


I love just how fucking noisy this album is

Odal
Staff Reviewer
January 2nd 2024


2370 Comments


This is a great review.

Three tracks in and I thought this was destined for 4+-dom, but the returns do start to diminsh rather quickly. These guys have an awesome foundation, but there's definitely something juuuuuuust keeping them back from greatness. Still, one of the better shoegaze records I've heard in recent memory



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