Hotline tnt

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Reviewed by Andi Bridges

Album released 20th June 25

 Having read the Hotline TNT PR blurb before listening to the album I was struck by the phrase, “Will Anderson amplifies everyday heartbreak with towering shoegaze and supersized power-pop anthems that demand to be played loud.”. A quote from Pitchfork magazine. I’ll be honest, the word shoegaze put the fear of God into me. However, any record released on Third Man Records is going to have a mountain of fuzzed up guitar on it, so I needn’t have worried. 

Opener, Was I Wrong – comes across all Indie, and for the first minute and a half looks to be heading towards shoegaze. Then the band kick in, and suddenly the song is propelled by a fuzz guitar riff. A melodic solo introduces itself towards the end of the track which bleeds into track two, Transition - a short instrumental of off kilter psych guitar and keyboards. 

This becomes, The Scene – which gives off huge Jane’s Addiction vibes, thanks in part to drummer Mike Ralston. The song was written in the studio after a fit of pique by Anderson. Will, as previously, wanted to record the album as he has always done. That is decamping to a studio with just himself and a producer to put his songs together piece by piece. The rest of the band, who had been touring as Hotline TNT for the last 10 months had other ideas and turned up at the studio. 

When Anderson and Lucky Hunter couldn’t get their guitars to gel on one of Anderson’s demo tracks, cue aforementioned strop as Anderson took himself off and wrote the track. What is a band to do when your frontman has thrown a wobbly? Written at the same time is Break Right - arranged around a subdued/muted riff with Haylen Trammel’s bass much more to the fore. This song started life as an instrumental jam by the other three members of Hotline TNT whilst left alone in the studio and finished off when Will returned.

Lead single, Julia’s War – has probably the simplest chorus in American Indie rock. “Na Na Na Nah”. When the band stress-tested it during the writing process, the ‘try not to sing along challenge’ came back with a 100% fail rate.” I can confirm it is impossible not to join in with it. If you get a chance, check out the video for it on YouTube. It pokes gentle fun at Military Bootcamps. 

Set closer, Where U Been – starts with an almost trip hop drum pattern and then a guitar imitating a siren brings the band in. On the chorus Will sings “Don’t tell me where you been, we’ll find some time to talk about it, Would I do it all again, come to find I just don’t fit in”.

There is a cohesion across the tracks that I guess comes from a band contributing to the songs rather than a lone artist building the songs from scratch and then hired musicians having to learn the parts for touring purposes. Vocal phrasing and harmonies, at times, remind me of a cross between Bare Naked Ladies and They Might Be Giants. 

There are traces of The Pixies and even a touch of early Weezer, in some of the music. Hotline TNT are threatening to tour over here in November. Did I follow Pitchfork’s advice and play it loud? Of course I did………..and I hope the neighbours enjoyed it as much as I did.

Prescription PR

Reviewed by Levi Tubman

Album released 4th July 25

Some live albums end up becoming more iconic than many polished studio efforts. 

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, The Who’s Live at Leeds, and Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged come to mind. These albums succeed because they strike the perfect balance: raw but tight, authentic but sonically impressive. They avoid the pitfalls that often plague live recordings, such as the sound muddy and noisy to the point the listener cant hear details. Live in Studio 3 sidesteps this pitfall, and then some.

Rather than being captured in front of an audience, this live album from Marisa and the Moths was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios with the full band playing together in real time, the way records used to be made, and it shows. Having recently seen their impressive set at The Brudenell Social Club, I was curious to see whether that same electricity could be bottled in the studio or whether it would turn out too dry.

Opening the album is Needy, a favourite to open or finish a live set, starting with guitars being tuned and background chatter, its quieter intro leaves every breath on display, were getting the recording in its entirety. Marisa’s vocals have more grit than the studio recordings, the clean power is still there, but the edges have that little croak that gives it an edge. You’re just getting into the song, expecting the guitars and rest of the band to come in hard but here the guitars are an onslaught of sound, not over loud or over distorted just pushed hard and wide encompassing everything. The twin guitar solo’s give way to just bass and vocals, again with every rattle and plectrum stroke laid bare with perfect tone before the guitars come back but it’s still there underneath rumbling away.

Following this up with Skin and Who Are You Waiting For, the drums go from being a part of the band on the studio version to leading it, the kick thumps through perfectly complimented by the crisp snap of the snare I’m on my third listen through before I even notice the vocals. Recorded at the same time in the same studio, the two songs are so different to the first with the live environment amplifying the differences. These are for the rhythm section the drums and bass working with each other with cymbals washing over the mix running down the toms while rich basslines provide the melody and hook, coupling this with some of the best guitars and vocals on the album they particularly stand out for me.

SAD loses its presumably intentional playfulness, with the vocals taking on a more sombre tone in keeping with the song’s lyrics and meaning. Toning down the vocal façade of happiness does nothing to lessen the songs impact, its quitter sections help to highlight show off the bands individual skills again coming in and out when needed all under the watchful gaze of those ever-present vocals, especially with the outro vocalised oooh’s brought loud and up front instead of quietly in the background. 

Rounding off the album is Borderline, a track that stood out for me live, starting with its quiet picked guitar and fragile vocals, it’s an angst-tinged anthem. Mixing calm mellow verses with angry guitar bite, while not straying that far from the original the more dynamic recording amplifies the differences in the sections hammering the choruses home.

Live they’re a force to be reckoned with, a wild unabashed energy and sound that is often hard to capture in the studio, with band members recording parts one at a time, but this record manages to capture the live essence without sacrificing sound quality. If you already own their studio albums, this live record still deserves a spot in your collection. And if you pick it up on vinyl or CD, you’ll also get bonus recordings from their headline shows, a nice little extra for fans. 

The little extras such as announcing take one before a song or chatting just after while tuning up add to the feel of the album, dropping a barrier and help bring the audience in, to add to the live feel. This is a fantastic album, get it, and then complete the experience by seeing these guys live as soon as you can.

Track Listing:

Needy

Skin

Who Are You Waiting For?

SAD

Get It Off My Chest

Choke

Pedestal

Borderline