Review Summary: The art of the immaculate vibe.
Hot Milk are a post-hardcore and alternative rock outfit from the United Kingdom. Their vocal style can seem very reminiscent of Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens in many of their vocal lines. They are a group that's been able to freshen up this style in recent years. They use a very modern production style, one that dials everything down to perfection.
The vocals are absolutely drenched with post-production effects. Obviously, this is a divisive approach, as there's a large amount that doesn't enjoy this much fine-tuning of basically everything on display. It's understandable. With so many effects every which way, it can really take away from the authenticity of the performance. Authenticity is very important in today's modern age. With the increase of AI in recent years, authenticity is more important than ever. However, Hot Milk are one of those bands that are able to pull off their style live. It may sound a little bit different in a live setting, and they might not hit those notes quite as precisely as on record, but the folks in the band are definitely talented and have solid chops both in and out of the studio.
What's really nailed on their debut record,
A Call to the Void is sheer immaculate vibes. These vibes are presented strongly throughout the album's tracklisting. Many songs will feature some booming four-to-floor action that's a test to not want to bust a move to. These infectious rhythms are complemented by vocals that are very exquisite. Particularly, Han Mee is sensational throughout. Her vocals can soar extremely high, and when she particularly hits some of her highest notes, it's real hair-raising stuff. She's also a very charismatic performer in a live setting, which really helps. She's simply able to dazzle an audience with her sheer character.
However, some lyrics on the album seem a bit off. Something like "last night I died in Alice Cooper's pool house" is strange... Yeah, they're probably trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek with a line like this, but it just kind of feels like they wanted to throw in a popular guys name just for the hell of it, and probably because it would generate some clicks too. The lyric here just comes off as a bit corny and really unnecessary. There's lyrics that portray a band being rebellious, and then there's this; it's not the best look. Fortunately, these strange lyrics don't pop up too often in the tracklisting. Still doesn't help the fact that these lyrics can bog things down from time to time.
Sure,
A Call to the Void isn't the most original thing out there, but Hot Milk certainly nails many of their elements far better than their contemporaries. Their melodic choices are chosen carefully in order to achieve maximum catchiness. And those enticing rhythms are often fantastic, too. The standout here is definitely Mee's. Her performance is absolutely electric throughout. While that ultra-refined production style is present, it doesn't bother me too much, and it helps that they can authentically recreate things live.
