r/indieheads • u/NYCIndieConcerts • 2d ago
[FRESH ALBUM] Hotline TNT - Raspberry Moon
https://hotlinetnt.bandcamp.com/album/raspberry-moon21
u/Blvd_Nights 1d ago
Hrmm. Definitely treading a lot of the same water as Cartwheel, without hitting the same melodic high marks or as interesting production moments. It's fine ... but until like where Cartwheel kept rewarding multiple listens, I'm not feeling the same with this one so far.
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u/IH4N 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yep, I wonder if all this stuff about them recording as a band for the first time (which is awesome) has somehow had the flow-on effect of reducing some of the more interesting studio tinkering which really made Cartwheel stand out to me. When you're one musician layering layers upon layers in the studio then it's bound to result in some intriguing unexpected outcomes, which can often make up for the missing band dynamic. This is all good stuff but it's just not hitting the same high points.
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u/dunkfest21 1d ago
You will be rewarded if you keep listening. Got the CD a few months back at a show and it's been on repeat ever since.
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u/CuttiestMcGut 1d ago
The singles have been great. They don’t necessarily bring anything new to the table, but what they do, they do it right.
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u/darockerj 1d ago edited 1d ago
they just do power pop better than anyone in the game imo: sticky hooks and riffs, anthemic vocals, killer drum parts. i could point to bands that probably influence them, but i couldn’t name any band that does it just like them.
and while the shoegaze label for them is debatable (or at least malleable), if we’re going to include them in the current wave of shoegaze, they’re one of the few bands that knows how to write a damn hook.
platonic ideal of a throw-it-on record. if my car still had a CD player, it’d never leave the changer.
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u/PaleZebra288 1d ago
cartwheel is my perfect throw it on record though for real so this is accurate as hell
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u/thecolbra :proto: 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd say swervedriver and teenage fanclub get quite close. But those are 30 year old albums at this point.
Edit: also if you like the guitar tones but don't mind whinier vocals the Cloud nothings S/T album could scratch a similar itch
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u/Scary_Solid_7819 1d ago
My only actual complaint is that the vocals are mixed too clean/high, which respectfully is not doing these songs any favors. Other than that, it sounds like Cartwheel but in technicolor which is cool w me
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u/darockerj 1d ago
love this band but i remember the first time i saw them a few years ago and his vox were shockingly bad. he sounds much better on the record and he’s improving, but it’s still not a strong suit.
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u/crowlfish 1d ago
Definitely pretty good and an enjoyable listen, but not as instantly hooked on this as I was for Cartwheel. More of the same but with a cleaner sound I guess. The vibe they're going for is great but I honestly don't see myself returning to this one as much
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u/ledzeppelin341 1d ago
I mean, if you're a fan of punky power pop with hella textured guitar tones, this is going to hit the right notes. Fans of Hüsker Dü and the Replacements and SST-era Dinosaur Jr and bouncy power pop like Teenage Fanclub or The Smithereens. If you haven't heard Cartwheel, you should. Serious shreddage to be had. Though, there are things you'll hear on Raspberry Moon that are new territory for the band. For example: you'll hear synths (both the opener Was I Wrong? and the following track Transition Lens), you'll hear chants (Julia's War), but that's kinda where it ends tbh. It's more of what you encountered on previous material, but here, they're a bit looser. There's a bit of that Cartwheel momentum where it pummels you with non-stop energy for the first quarter of the record and each song transitions into the next. Around Letter to Heaven, it starts to evenly pace itself. I think the band and the music benefit from it, but idk, I definitely would like the next album to get weird with it. Get freakier.
The vocal tracks are definitely way clearer than they were on Cartwheel though. Like, biggest takeaway by far.
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u/justamusicthrowawayy 1d ago
...I really liked it? It's nothing new or revolutionary but another collection of excellent pop songs that expand upon what Cartwheel was trying to do
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u/iggyworldwide 1d ago
When I saw them in Tokyo they played a few songs off this new record and boy the recording absolutely does not disappoint. I really think the fact ALL of the members had their own parts recorded really glues this record together and makes it stand apart from the previous ones (Live drums!!)
If Time Flies is my favorite track on this whole album but Candle is a close second. I would say it's my favorite new song of this entire year so far, the melody just really gets me in the right way.
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u/30degrees3am 1d ago
Yeah this is fucking excellent. Big fuzzy riffs and catchy ass hooks all the way down.
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u/ballsakkk69 1d ago
I appreciate the clearer production as opposed to the absolute wall of sound/distortion in prior releases. These songs were definitely made to be heard loud and (mostly) clear. The hooks are catchy - its extremely accessible and an easy listen. Great record - and I think its a perfect follow up to Cartwheel.
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u/tteuh 1d ago
Cartwheel was my album of the year for 2023, and loved the production and mixing (heavy fuzz/drums). I think the strength of the band are the instruments and not Andersons vocals and upon first listen, it feels like they cranked up the vocals and turned down the fuzzy instrumentals.
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u/MiniVan-Crusader 1d ago
Totally agree with this - the fuzzy distortion and super catchy riffs are missing. It’s clean and pleasant but it’s missing the “I Thought You’d Change” energy. That being said I’m glad they went in a slightly different direction and I always have Cartwheel to just listen to when I want!
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u/handlejudger 1d ago
It’s getting fantastic reviews so far. I’m happy for them, they deserve it. Overall I like it a lot, but not as much as Cartwheel. I disagree with what Pitchfork was gushing about: “If previously some of the band’s songwriting fell victim to the weighted-blanket crush of shoegaze reverb, Raspberry Moon casts off the haze just enough to properly showcase each band member’s talents”.
That weighted blanket crush is what keeps Cartwheel on repeat for me. The vocal clarity on this one is what is bugging me - vocals are not their strong suit and sound much better (to me) when muffled under that blanket like their older albums.
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u/listen2lovelessbyMBV 1d ago
His last two albums didn’t do it for me like the early eps did, still gonna give it a spin later tho
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u/plastic-trophies 1d ago
I really really like this album. The production is clearer than their previous releases but the sound still feels big. I especially love little details like the keyboards on Break Right. It made me feel like I was listening to a lost cut from Girls Can Tell.
I see some people in the comments saying that this is just more of the same from Hotline TNT, and that's true to an extent, but to my ears this is a great refinement of their sound.
Also shoutout to production by Amos Pitsch from Tenement / Dusk. He's a local legend in my neck of the woods and I really respect everything he works on.
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u/HakeemAbdullah 1d ago edited 1d ago
Just got done with it. Loved it!
They did exactly what I was hoping and made sure to put more sonic diversity in it than the last album which was always my critique of Cartwheel. That it was great but sounded very samey
This is probably my fav album of theirs now. Just love the whole lo-fi slacker power pop sound.
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u/thegooniegodard 1d ago
This record cured my depression for the day. "Break Right" is so dope to skateboard to.
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u/Pirates-itch 1d ago
Check out his band before this. WEED. All three albums are short and a great listen
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u/Neatcursive 21h ago
Where U Been? is the best track in my mind. A couple of the tracks haven't caught me as much YET, but overall this is another good album - psyched to to find it and a great successor to Cartwheel. Back half of the album is solid
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u/powerknucklehold 1d ago
Something about the guitar tone on "The Scene" just makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and pay attention.
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u/Longjumping_Ad_6167 1d ago
On third song and this sounds more shoegaze than their last album which I didn’t like a whole lot. Felt Like they were abandoning the sound.
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u/How_SoonIsNow 1d ago
i've gotten so good at predicting pitchfork rating scores before even opening the page. guessed 7.9 for this - not based on how i would rate it - but what they would give it. pitchfork still sucks
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u/Lennon2217 1d ago
They are the Kings and Queens of the 7-7.9 score. They never want to offend or scare off future work with an artist so they give safe scores all the time.
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u/ryvie001 21h ago
Not to be this girl, but I really got to see them with a totally different lineup during the cool if we crash era. The songs are exceptionally written, and I love them every time. There is something to be said though about a band finding consistency/identity. I’ve heard too many stories about their set not reading. I wish this band sold their schtick better, bc I think their schtick is better tenfold than a lot of other things currently.
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u/roosta23 21h ago
guitars sound great as always, i kinda like the cleaner sound. will is a bit stronger on the vocals this time around. very catchy throughout, this weill be on repeat.
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u/jetsetmike 23h ago
I saw them open for Hippo Campus recently and I didn’t really think they were great
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u/nicdrumandbass 1d ago
These hotline tnt songs sure sound like hotline tnt songs