Hot Mulligan Continue Their Hot Streak With ‘The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still’

The post-emo kings Hot Mulligan have returned once again with their fourth studio album, ‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still’. This marks their first full-length since 2023’s ‘Why Would I Watch’. And this record dives into what this band already excels at, whether it’s raw nature (and hooky melodies) of the vocals or lyrics that pierce the soul over and over. 

The record starts with a melancholy kind of first track, with “Moving to Bed Bug Island”. It’s a song I wasn’t expecting to start the album, but it’s fitting as it starts off slow before getting into more energetic tracks. And the acoustic guitar during this is very prevalent. That and the backup vocals throughout make the atmosphere of this song feel very gloomy, in the best way. 

We’re then followed with the lead single from the record, with “And a Big Load”. The main guitar riff delivered here is such a catch sort of riff. This song feels like a perfect mix of old and new eras for this band, and it makes sense why it was the first to showcase this album. The chorus is huge, and the back and forth between vocalists Tades Sanville and Chris Freeman is truly what will forever be in the DNA of the band. And it’s done so well, especially on this one. And the solo delivered by guitarist Ryan Malicsi is a fitting one, and reminds me that of Sum 41. 

We continue with what I would say is one of my favorites off this, with “Smells Like Fudge Axe In Here”. The melodies are off the charts like the last song, and the lead guitar is such an ear worm by Ryan once again. The song gives me such vibes of “It’s a Family Movie…” off the last album, just a fun and bouncy type of track. Tades goes off during the bridge with such ease and power in his vocals, it’s great to hear. “Is it a passing phase to always hide away?” is a lyric that stuck out to me really nicely also. 

We then continue with another one of the singles, with “Island In the Sun”. It immediately gives off such summer vibes in its instrumentation. It feels so classic in its composition to the sound of this band and what people love from them. They’ve been super consistent with both the catchiness and rawness of this album so far, and this one’s no exception. Cory Castro from Free Throw’s feature is a short, but welcome one. His raw vocals fit in really nicely along with both Tades and Chris. The background vocals also lend such identity and repeatability to this track as well. I feel like this is bound to be a fan favorite, and it’s no surprise it was picked as a single. 

We jump to real 2010’s pop punk vibes with “Bon Jonah”. The bass shines here by bassist Jonah Kramer, which is very fitting on the song named after him. The back and forth vocals between Tades and Chris shines once again, as it feels absolutely masterful and seamless the way they play off each other. It makes for a great chorus, and one of the best of the album. It’s a song that’s also one I’m sure will do gangbusters in a live setting. And I’m a sucker for including some synth, and it works really well at the end of this. 

We jump to the first interlude of the album, with “This Makes Me Yummy”. Not much to say on this aside from the fact that the sound of its keys make it a pleasant experience leading into the next track on here.

We then jump to the best written song on the record, with “Monica Lewinskibidi”. The lyrics on this feel the most personal, as it dives into Tades’ and the loss of his grandma. There’s so many lyrics that are worth shouting out on this. A couple of them being “I can’t let you lay there and sleep, still more time if you stay up with me” and “I’m sitting in a parking lot, you’re laying in your grave”. It’s truly heartbreaking and you can hear the genuine nature of it being delivered in the vocals as well. It’s one I’m sure will resonate with a lot of fans. 

We slow down the record with our first acoustic track, with “Milam Minute”. This one feels fitting after the last song, with it also relating to grief of losing someone. The acoustic guitar here feels elegantly played and fits the vibe here really well. Two songs in a row that are this emotionally taxing on the lyrical side is something I’m sure will stay with anyone who gives this album a spin. 

We pick up the energy in a big way, with “Cream of Wheat of Feet Naw Cream of (Feat)”. We get back to those 2010 vibes like before, and it just brings back the energetic and upbeat nature of its instrumentals. The drums, delivered by drummer Brandon Blakeley, go absolutely buck wild here. I’m always a sucker for name dropping the album title, and it works really nicely here. I’m just amazed with how well this band is able to mix great melodies with such raw vocals so well.

We jump to what might be my favorite track on the record, with “Mix Master Wade On the Beat”. This once again goes back to the kind of songs I love from this band, where the melodies are going beast mode and it’s truly spectacular. Tades doing falsetto here is a nice surprise, and it works really well for the song. The guitar parts shine once again here by Ryan and Chris, especially during the second verse. We also get a bit of a breakdown during the bridge, and it’s for sure gonna be a fun live track. I also gotta shout out how impressive Tades sounds near the end, as he goes from screaming back to falsetto so seamlessly. 

We’re followed up with another highlight off the record for me, with “Carbon Monoxide Hotel”. This one out of any of the tracks on here really gives me vibes of their 2020 album, ‘you’ll be fine’. It’s got another huge chorus, as well as impressive guitar work once again (especially during the bridge). It’s awesome to see how far this band has come in their songwriting, and how masterful they’ve handled with melodies too. 

We then reach the other interlude of the record, with “This Makes Me Yucky”. This one is complied of Tades doing spoken word heard faintly as an acoustic guitar is in the focus. It’s a fitting one to have when you’re experiencing the record. 

We then pick it back up again with a short but fun track, with “Let Me See Your Mounts”. The lead guitar by Ryan is really going off in this song, despite it being in the background for a good amount of it. I honestly wish this song was longer, since I was really in the moment for every second of it. But it also makes me realize this band hasn’t lost a step when it comes to the back and forth vocals. Tades and Chris’ voices have always worked so well together, and this one is a testament to that. 

We’re on the final stretch of the record, starting with “Monster Burger and a $5 Beer”. This one truly exudes midwest emo vibes, from the guitar parts to the lyrics to the vocals. It’s where this band came from and where they thrive once again. The energy feels so consistent on this song, and the drums by Brandon stand out really nicely as well. I can absolutely see this both being a fan favorite on recording and in a live setting. The gang vocals heard in the background as Chris is singing is a pretty inspired way to outro this track, I’m just a sucker for that.

We reach the penultimate track and what I feel is part one of the closer to the record, with “Slumdog Scungillionaire”. I love the keys that start this off, and also by the end of it too. I feel like it really ties the melancholy vibe from the first track all the way to this one. It’s such a poetic track to be near the album or in my head canon, be the first part of the closer. It’s got a bit of an ominous buildup during the bridge, before it goes full force into being full band. And Tades going off screaming his heart out is a beautiful sight to see, and hear. The raw energy feels right to have one last time before we depart the album. 

But last but not least, we reach the closing track of the record with “My Dad Told Me to Write a Nice One for Nana So This Is It”. It’s another short, but incredibly sweet acoustic song dedicated to Tades’ grandma. Him bringing back the falsetto one more time on the last song just feels right, and it’s something I hope he utilizes even more in the future. It’s just an overall sweet song to end an album like this, especially after how heavy the song prior was.

Hot Mulligan continue to be one of the best bands in this scene with ‘The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still’. And their songwriting and the quality of their heartbreaking, but catchy songs continue to be extremely consistent and impressive. They really do what they do best on this album once again, and it goes to show why they’re now one of the more talked about acts in this scene right now.