by John Glab (@glabglabglab_)
The realm of DIY has surfaced massive acts in the past, and Hotline TNT seems to be in the midst of making that step. Fiercely fighting for that mantra early in the band’s life, Will Anderson released the first Trilogy set of EPs not on Bandcamp or any other streaming service, but rather through his website assnup.com where he would send out self-produced physical copies, or audio files to those who sent money through Venmo. Anderson was proud to do it in this grassroots way. From there, the band progressed to releasing their physical debut album, Nineteen In Love, with former collaborator Samuelito Cruz’s label Smoking Room, putting their work on various streaming services. In that time, they’ve also been designated as a part of the new wave of American shoegaze. Now, Hotline TNT are releasing their second album, Cartwheel, with Third Man Records, a move to a “major” indie label with a wider reach than ever before.
Signing to Third Man and developing from their DIY roots has obviously ensued a lot of change for the band, not only in how they operate themselves, but in the way their songs are crafted too. This trend is backed by the ever-revolving cast around Anderson in his band. The sounds on Cartwheel are much cleaner and more varied, perhaps due to the more corporate approach of the new larger label. This is shown on a track like the opener “Protocol,” where throughout the runtime the song spreads and seeps out like a pool permeating through rough nighttime concrete. The closer “Stump” follows this change too, but instead frolics and chirps. Both tracks are riddled with bright guitars and phasing chorus effects, a stark contrast to Anderson’s previous stripped back ethos of minimal production where guitars were just run through an interface with the gain set to the maximum. There are more textures added to the songs on the album, which previously was something Anderson was hesitant to do.
More than just tone effects, Anderson introduces plenty of other elements novel to the Hotline TNT structure. He expands on the occasional use of synthesizer within his previous discography on “Beauty Filter,” where the instrument warbles and oscillates in a poisoning, looping rhythm. The song “Spot Me 100” showcases an intense drum and bass pattern that crackles in, and ushers a long build up that occupies nearly half of the song before tearing out. Towards the end of Cartwheel is a sequencing track called “That Was My Life” that plays like a faint conversation from a low-key party playing out through a phone speaker. Groaning over top this is a low, melodramatic synth part. Stylistically it resembles something like “You Got It Babe” from the Feeble Little Horse album Hayday. Though definitely one of the album’s more laid-back moments, it’s still a cool sonic deviation that briefly absorbs the listener.
Even with the added effects and building of new techniques, most of the songs still have at least an essence of the true Hotline TNT core to them. This sound comes from the quick, punchy riffs on a song like “Lawyers in Love” that emit through especially on “History Channel,” or “Out of Town” with its sloshy yet slick flows, and the blistering fast incessant pace that’s reminiscent of the buildup and tear down on a song like “Trinity”. It’s these moments that keep the Hotline TNT personality intact, grounding all the new additions from mutating the songs into something unrecognizable.
Hotline TNT never lose their identity on Cartwheel. However, because change is the only constant as time passes and the universe rolls on, a lot is different with the band compared to previous releases. For whatever reason, whether it be signing to a large label, a new rotation of band members, different influences, or just the general evolution of people as they evolve and change, the songs Anderson has created for the album have a whole new feel. Cartwheel is much more pop inclined with its vivid, gleaming instrumentation and tones. This navigates away from the scuzzy punk energy that has defined Hotline TNT previously. Overall, the structure of the new songs hasn’t changed that profusely. They still follow a similar formula from before but it’s expressed differently in their tone and mood. The raw, jagged expressiveness of the band has seemed to wane with moving away from a DIY approach and the aesthetic it procures. This trend though is often a natural progression for a band, and the moves Hotline TNT has made allowed them to grow and be appreciated by a wider audience.