Formed in Lansing, Michigan in 2014, Hot Mulligan have been shining a light in the dark and brightening the corners with their irresistible mash up of pop punk, post hardcore and Midwest emo. Having set the world alight with their 2018 debut album Pilot, the band have amassed millions of streams whilst touring with respected names such as The Wonder Years and Jimmy Eat World. Theirs has been a career forged on their own terms and comes with a kind of “no sell-out” guarantee and that’s made their success all the more sweeter. With fourth album The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still hitting the streets and a UK tour planned in September as support to Pierce The Veil, Hot Mulligan are about to grab the gold ring.

What has always elevated Hot Mulligan above their peers is the wide palette they draw upon to paint their sound; sometimes they throw bright oil colours at their canvas causing great splashes, at others they use pastel shades with gentle strokes, and it’s an approach that gives them a lot of freedom. Whilst many Midwestern emo albums tend to roll along at a similar pace and offer little in the way of variety, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still is a veritable bag of tricks that never fails to throw up a surprise (or few). This is an album that’s constantly shifting gears, and subsequently it never stays in one place for long. Case in point is opener ‘Moving To Bed Bug Island’; Hot Mulligan don’t feel the need to arrive with ticker tape flying, rather it’s a slow builder that adds sound almost imperceptibly until the listener is totally subsumed in the band’s world and means that when the band kick in with the following ‘And A Big Load’, they kick in hard. While it’s perfectly feasible to dip in and out of this record and enjoy each track individually (indeed, any one of these sixteen tracks would make a cool single), it’s probably best consumed whole to fully appreciate its ebb and flow and the diamond-like sparkle the collected songs make.

An album that finds Hot Mulligan at the top of their game, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still is another sure step towards world domination. This year they’ll be touring the UK as a support act, don’t be surprised if they return in 2026 as headliners.

• The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still is released via Wax Bodega on 22nd August 2025.

Track List:

1. Moving to Bed Bug Island
2. And a Big Load
3. It Smells Like Fudge Axe in Here
4. Island in the Sun (feat. Corey Castro of Free Throw)
5. Bon Jonah
6. This Makes Me Yummy
7. Monica Lewinskibidi
8. Milam Minute
9. Cream of Wheat of Feet New Cream of (feat)
10. Mix Master Wade On The Beat
11. Carbon Monoxide Hotel
12. This Makes Me Yucky
13. Let Me See Your Mounts
14. Monster Burger and a $5 Beer
15. Slumdog Scungillionaire
16. My Dad Told Me To Write a Nice One For Nana So This Is It