Aussie punks Johnny Hunter smash it with their new single “Hot Mess”, this is hard-rocking 21st-century punk at its best. It draws on classic 70s punk and some of today’s heavier sounds like Frank Carter and Soft Play. It was produced by Jesse F. Keeler (Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT). The band has said a lot about the song’s birth throes.
“Hot Mess” was recorded above The Lord Gladstone Hotel in their Sydney hometown. Of the recording process, lead singer Nick Hutt said “Whenever we needed to go to the bathroom or for a smoke we had to push through crowds of people on their night out, from people hooking up to crying with their friends outside, to pairs of people coming out of cubicles so every time we were in the studio on the weekend we’d be flys on the wall for (and sometimes part of) this exhibition of what we could only describe as hot mess behaviour. We literally recorded the vocals whilst a massive DnB party played downstairs, I’m 95% sure that if you solo the raw stems of the vocal you can hear it in the background. This is the essence of the song, the whole feel, the drums, the lyrics, the mood all of it attested to recording music in the pub”.
the song was inspired by what bassist Dakota Fisher described as “a meth loop” which he describes as “clanging metal in a bathroom whilst dragging your teeth on the tiled floor“, the band initially explored an 808-driven beat. However, this direction felt too techno, leading them to pivot towards a more organic, LCD Soundsystem-inspired groove that producer Jesse helped refine. To capture a specific dancefloor energy, the band wrote the verse while Groove Armada’s “Shakin’ That Ass” was on repeat. Though they admit to only knowing one verse of the song, it provided the perfect foundation for their own track’s rhythmic delivery. Whilst the rest of the band then joined the party downstairs at the Lord Gladstone drummer Gerry Thompson (Gez) the band’s resident hardcore enthusiast, channelled his love of harmonics into the song’s wild energy. Instantly ripping the guitar part through a Big Muff pedal, he creates a layer of chaos that perfectly complements Dakota’s initial inspiration. Like me, you might be very pleased to learn that Johhny Hunter has permanently moved to the UK!
If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 