The emo genre’s character arc has been established in waves. Glittery guitar riffs and confessional lyricism marked the first wave of pop-punk emo bands in the early 2000s (not to be confused with the true first wave of emo in the D.C. hardcore scene in the mid-1980s). By the time the next wave rolled around, lyricists became more introspective, though still reliant on familiar sounds. Hot Mulligan guitarist Ryan Malisci found himself in a liminal space when the band formed in 2014. They teetered between different generations of emo, granting them leverage to experiment up until their most recent release, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still, out via Wax Bodega.
This LP skews significantly heavier, tackling themes of loss, relationship dynamics, and self-identity. These are tricky topics to tackle in a 42-minute record. Hot Mulligan does so gracefully; perhaps their irreverent sense of humor gives way to sonic balance. Songs like “Monica Lewinskibidi” are memed, but their lyrical content is overwhelming. Guitarist Ryan Malisci suggests that the band’s creative process, molded over a decade of collaboration, allows them the freedom to express themselves, thereby touching the audience’s hearts.
“We never go into a record to make it sound like something specific,” explains Malisci candidly. “With every record, we try to take our sound and expand upon it, leaning into tropes a bit more. So, if one is a little darker, a little heavier—We’ll lean into that more.”
The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still certainly leans heavier. Guttural screams and faint whispers convey huge emotions. Often, the instrumental provides sonic context, with breakdowns assisting a song’s narrative. Hot Mulligan’s current sound suggests they’ve been going through it behind the scenes, but these earnest revelations can do wonders for their community of fans. This genre has always stood out in its ability to act as a mental health elixir. Though not a substitute for therapy, emo makes people feel seen.
Hot Mulligan’s music may be lyrically dense, but they know when to let loose. Total self-expression requires a blend of humor and seriousness, which the group mastered. Perhaps as a coping mechanism, many of us use humor to deal with whatever we may be going through. “I think everyone does this,” agrees Malisci.
Hot Mulligan are no exception to this. Their self-awareness helps their jokes land, versus fall flat and ill-timed against darker sonic backdrops.
“I don’t think it’s all too intentional. I think that we’re a group that inherently doesn’t take ourselves too seriously. But that doesn’t apply when it comes to our art, right? Like, I don’t think we’ve ever made a song where we would do something just because it’s funny or trendy. So I think it’s just really a product of caring about the important stuff, like the song, and then leaning into the goofiness that we have naturally, which is just like, why would we title it something that aligns with the lyrical content?”
Their approach is refreshing for a genre that has been taking itself too seriously as of late. The group recently toured with Fall Out Boy, who similarly experimented with lengthy or seemingly unrelated song titles. However, like Hot Mulligan, many of Fall Out Boy’s choices were niche pop-culture references and occasionally even directly pulled from song lyrics.
While clever, Hot Mulligan’s choices are “as simple and dumb as niche references to our inside jokes.” Which positions them well in front of their audience. This unintentional inside scoop likely makes fans feel closer to the band. Everyone’s friend group has indecipherable inside jokes that are (seemingly) only funny within the group. Once breached, the lack of context appears to be scattered.
“Brandon is going to kill me if I get this wrong,” recalls Malisci with a laugh. “‘Let Me See Your Mounts’ is an inside joke from the studio. Brandon was playing a video game; I think it was World of Warcraft. You get mounts in the game, and Tades would just come up to us and say, ‘Let me see your mounts.’”
Hot Mulligan thrive in a liminal space where humor and heaviness coexist. Their nuanced take on music reflects the way most people experience life. People rarely experience polarization quite like what’s expressed in media, making Hot Mulligan’s take refreshing. The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still is their best record to date because they sit comfortably in their human experience.
The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still is out tomorrow, and you can preorder it from Wax Bodega Records. Follow Hot Mulligan on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for future updates.
Cover photo by Kaytlin Dargen
