High-energy grit and nerve might define Hot Milk’s sound, but on a closer listen, the English rockers have always been more than just another brash punk ‘fit. Formed by singers/guitarists Hannah Mee and Jim Shaw, the band released three EPs independently prior to this new release. Their new album, Corporation P.O.P takes us on a more introspective journey, opening our minds to deeper internal struggles and perspectives of the world around us. The band doesn’t claim to have the answers to the world’s problems, but they offer instead a raw and vulnerable reaction, showing a very human point of view to life and the modern experience. 

Kicking it full throttle, “(How Do I) Make the Devil Disappear,” rages with hardcore metal riffs and punchy vocals, a melodic crescendo on the bridge creating suspense.

“Insubordinate Ingerland,” follows with angst and a youthful restlessness. A critique on England’s complacency, lines like “stop your dreaming and drink your pint,” throw humor onto the band’s social commentary. 

“The American Machine,” keeps up the stark humor embedded in dreary criticism this time towards the other side of the pond. Striking licks and hyper-punk beats make up the rhythm. The pre-bridge is a static recording, monotone, announcing the hopeless descent into tyranny, followed by the duo’s overlapping harmonies. 

Is robo-metal a thing? It is in the track “Hell Is On It’s Way.” Heavy riffs with computerized vocals and urban beats radiate both a retro and futuristic sound. It’s a blend of modern hardcore with eighties synth and cyberpunk tones weaved in. This experimental combo makes for an electrifying song, and the robotic instrumentals leave plenty of space for the vocals to spit fire. 

Corporation P.O.P has two interludes, the first one a minute and a half track that features an eastern-style ambience, calming and dreamy, mixed to an electronic club beat.

The harmonies combine effortlessly in “Chase the Dragon,” as if the two are at war. Mee’s punchy rasp with Shaw’s harsh croons makes for violent verses of range and emotion, showing the depth of raw connection and the self-infliction that happens in a toxic relationship. It’s a song about letting go while wanting nothing more than to cling on. 

Percussion-heavy with an energizing intro, it’s no wonder “90 Seconds to Midnight,” has as many listens on Spotify as it does. It hits hard and rough, with bratty vocals spewing out burning lines, a pulsing beat that thrills, and rageful screams echoing morbid reminders of the doomsday clock ticking closer and closer. 

Choppy 2010’s synth breaks up the metal rage in “Warehouse Salvation.” Club beats make this a dancefloor rave bop. “Warehouse Salvation,” rivets with a different type of energy, less ferocity and more about dancing to your own beat, literally and figuratively. Standout lines are “My idols are vampires, thorns in my side.”

“Sediments -Interlude,” is the album’s second break. Shaw’s airy vocals rise in the faded synth that rotates into a full beat by the time Mee joins in. Even at its crescendo, the instrumentals don’t stray too far, keeping low and moody.

“Asphyxiate,” reconciles with a suffocating passion, a love gone sour, and the regret that follows. Vulnerable emotion blends with the desperation to be heard. As the chorus rings, “Is it too late to turn back time, convince myself to change my mind,” it’s hard not to feel emotionally harassed by this song. Emo and pop-punk hold the reigns both lyrically and musically. 

Techno collides with an industrial beat, initiating “Payment of Pain.” Animalistic vocals growl and scream, a feral beat following. The chorus bites with venom while the verses deliver a lighter atmosphere. 

With a little bit of all the subgenres of alternative rock blended into Corporation P.O.P, it’s hard to fit a group like Hot Milk into any single category. The band has successfully scored mainstream success and made it to the big leagues playing with beloved rock bands like Green Day and Limp Bizkit, and yet they still humble themselves as an independent English punk band. The songs of Corporation P.O.P have a stadium-level sound meant to be blasted over the airwaves, while the ideas behind them maintain the band’s sometimes morbid but often sarcastic commentary on the world we live in. 

Review by I’m Music Magazine Writer Alice Kearney