Hotline TNT's 24-hour Livestream
The second Third Man release from NYC-based rockers Hotline TNT combines frontman Will Anderson's deeply felt pop sensibilities and riff reverence with the layered arrangements and wider sonic spectrums of a full band. Indeed, while Anderson initially considered making Raspberry Moon the last of the Hotline TNT solo affairs, he realized that his touring band--guitarist Lucky Hunter, bassist Haylen Trammel, and drummer Mike Ralston--was now unequivocally part of the Hotline TNT moniker. And so, the quartet banged out Anderson's demos with Tenement singer/guitarist and producer Amos Pitsch, himself basically the fifth member of the band, adding percussion and keys to a number of songs. The resulting album trades out predecessor Cartwheel's emphasis on sheer volume for greater dynamics and more gradually soaring heights, an even better match for Anderson's reflections on self-doubt and romance.
The bookends of Raspberry Moon, appropriately, build into a climax rather than going for the jugular right away. The squalling guitars and meaty drums on opener "Was I Wrong?" don't enter until a minute and a half in, the song essentially carried by Anderson's gentle questioning of a failed relationship. Closer "Where U Been?" noodles on siren-like guitars and deliberate drums before giving way to earsplitting shoegaze harmonics. That the album--a tight 35 minutes--begins and ends with similarly constructed tunes only makes you want to start it over, taking in all of the elements in-between that encapsulate everything you love about Hotline TNT while introducing new flourishes to the mix. Take lead single "Julia's War", whose swaying, fists-in-the-air rhythm makes room for an unlikely wordless chorus of "na na"s, bringing the stadium to the basement. Pitsch's piano supplements the jangly "Dance the Night Away" in all of its backhanded complement glory: "You could be in all the plays / Off Broadway," Anderson smirks. Chirping crickets, strummed acoustic guitar, and mild drum rolls soundtrack "Lawnmower", Anderson's blissed-out treatise on the peace and melancholy of post-tour domesticity.
Don't get me wrong: There's plenty of heart-on-sleeve power pop on Cartwheel. Anderson gains confidence on "Letter to Heaven", his dejected vocal turn belied by mighty distortion and propulsive percussion. The song's titular metaphor concerns doing something either outside of your comfort zone or that's a long-shot, like taking a driving lesson or buying a shirt without trying it on, but you can picture Anderson embarking on higher-stakes, like holding a boombox outside a crush's window. The massive "Candle" sums it up in a much simpler, anthemic refrain: "I wanna try / Get butterflies." Despite tracks like these that naturally segue from Cartwheel, Raspberry Moon is just as effective for the songs that would have made you raise an eyebrow coming from Hotline TNT, just a couple years ago. Off-kilter, woozy synth instrumental "Transition Lens" is a bold choice for a second track. Third track "The Scene" consists of one verse surrounded by huge instrumental intros and outros. And "Break Right" is perhaps the best song Hotline TNT have written to date, a bummed-out chugger built around sinewy tandem guitar and bass, sprinkled with acoustic guitar and piano. "If you could suffer my bad night / The music died," Anderson sings, as if he's begging someone to empathize with a case of writer's block. It's a new step for Hotline TNT, Anderson's earnestness front and center, unable to hide behind a wall of noise.
If the release of Raspberry Moon wasn't reason enough for Hotline TNT to make waves, two weeks ago, they removed all of their music from Spotify to protest CEO Daniel Ek's increasing, borderline cartoonish ghoulishness. On Friday, they'll participate in a 24-hour live stream on their Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram channels, starting at 11:00 AM CST. During the stream, they'll attempt to sell 500 copies of Raspberry Moon on Bandcamp (on Bandcamp Friday, when all the money goes to the artists themselves) and speak with other bands, music journalists, and record store owners about their favorite new music and where they find it, as well as how they feel about the politics of what is the (unfortunately) preeminent music streaming platform. Tune in and support this great band, keep purchasing music on Bandcamp and in record stores, and avoid relying on algorithms to find your next beloved record, opting instead for curated playlists or even publications--maybe this one!
