Have you ever heard lyrics so specific you feel the author snuck into your brain? That’s how it feels listening to the latest Hot Mulligan record, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still. Biting, timely, and topical, the LP sheds light on complete darkness. The album could easily be classified as Hot Mulligan’s best work. A combination of comprehensive themes and post-ironic humor makes it a treat from start to finish. Most wouldn’t recognize that they’re spending 42 minutes of their day listening to an album. Arguably, the worst part of the LP is when it ends; if only it could last forever. The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still begins with a quiet whisper and ends with a bang.
However, prepare yourself before you nose-dive into this one. It’s heavy, though some song titles, like “Monica Lewinskibidi,” have deceiving appearances. Hot Mulligan must have been using humor to cope with the heavy stuff they dealt with behind the scenes during the making of this record. Lyrically, its content is polarizing; sometimes, they’re hopeful narrators, and others, they’re bogged down by the harsh truths of the human experience—a common reality that many live in. Songs like “Bon Jonah” reflect this polarity, with a catchy instrumental tackling tough themes of loss. The narration details the intense experience of losing someone to cancer. Still, its approach remains universally resonant.
Whether you’ve literally or symbolically lost someone, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still hits home prolifically. The group harbor tons of emotional literacy. Of course, that could be expected of a midwest emo group, especially in the Renaissance period that raised Hot Mulligan. They manage to continually stand out in their adaptability, which shows through in this LP. While heavy thematically, the record is highly listenable. It doesn’t sacrifice catchier, poppier moments for emotionally intense lyrical themes. Instead, the two coexist within each other, granting the audience a well-rounded listening experience. I gravitate to it still, even after completing my notes on it.
While the record is a fantastic crutch to lean on during hard times, it can begin to weigh on you after repeated listens. Some of it is so sad that, while refreshingly vulnerable, it can be difficult to digest for some. It’s a double-edged sword. Those with loss-related trauma will find solace in it, while others will be triggered by it. Though that’s not inherently a harsh criticism toward the record, Hot Mulligan’s emotional depth is undeniably an asset for the band. However, it would be disingenuous to suggest that it’s easy to listen to a full-length record with this thematic backing—even when guided by glittery Midwest emo.
I love it; the LP helps me confront some things that I tend to repress. I found myself without a single song to skip.
The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still may be heavy thematically, but it hits home in a time where emotional vulnerability is critical for community survival.
