Love and loss explored…
Pursuing a genre which they’ve labeled as ‘Crackrock’, the power pop trio of Hotgothic are back in action with a new release.
‘I’m Still Yours’ is Hotgothic’s own unique take on the breakup song built around a broody bassline and reedy synth sounds. It’s perhaps a change of gear compared to Hotgothic’s usual brash output, but offers a bittersweet mood moment that delivers in style.
Hotgothic’s lineup consists of ‘Mistress of the MicroKorg’ Cocaine Katy, guitarist Dr Jacket and wideboy vocalist Malibu Stacy. Last year, they blew audiences away at the Electro Punk Party event at The Water Rats. Songs such as the audacious ‘Big Dollars’ (“Big dollars pay for my wife’s tits”) and the percussive pop of ‘Safe As Houses’.
Meanwhile, new release ‘I’m Still Yours’ offers up a reverie on the ages-old question of how people handle breakups. Apparently the band members locked themselves away in a room for a brutal exploration of every failed relationship and breakup that each of them had endured. After this gruelling session (“I definitely found out more about my bandmates than I feel comfortable knowing” Stacy commented in a recent interview) there was a wealth of material to draw from lyrically.
The song plays around with the confusion that people can feel in that post-breakup period (“I can’t tell if it’s you that I miss/or if I just miss me with you”). There’s always that odd connection between two people who have been close and the idea that they could be together again. It’s the stuff that’s launched a 1,000 love songs and Hotgothic’s take plays straight to the heart.
The intriguing video for this latest outing comes care of Hotgothic’s own Stacy in collaboration with DOP Vaughan Matthews. The enduring image of a band trying to capture the hearts of an indifferent crowd is a familiar trope, but ends up in the right place at the end.
Hotgothic have a style and a swagger that emerges even in their more reflective moments, but ‘I’m Still Yours’ is a tune that will touch your heart and perhaps remind you of someone you miss.
‘I’m Still Yours’ is out now.
https://hotgothic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hotgothic
