Hot Milk

Manchester pop-punk band Hot Milk has skyrocketed in popularity within the last year. The band is fronted by vocalist duo Han Mee and Jim Shaw. 

It is rather unusual for a pop-punk band to have two vocalists, which is something typically left to the post-hardcore scene. Knowing that information, I was hesitant to get into Hot Milk. Before I even listened to them, I had decided in my mind that the pair of vocalists would be too overbearing.

I am happy to say I was incredibly wrong. Mee’s melodic voice blends effortlessly with Shaw’s gritty pop-punk vocals, a blend that ordinarily would not go together. The pair are able to harmonize seemingly anything. When I say anything, I mean anything.

Hot Milk released “California’s Burning” in early July, trying their hand in the hardcore side of music. “California’s Burning” is a heavily political song, something that is new for Hot Milk.

The band tends to stick to the more personal and emotional side when it comes to the lyrics. With their recent single, however, the band dives into American social issues such as mass shootings, gun control regulations, and even the LGBTQ+ conversion camps. 

The lyrics are fiercely stimulating — they fill listeners with rage at the way America tends to handle major crises. 

My favorite part of the song is the bridge. The lyrics, while repeated, are powerful: “Children of today, mavericks of tomorrow/ We will build a bridge ‘cause their minds are too/ narrow.” This suggests that the youth of America will be the ones to fight back against the evil tormenting our country.

Mee does something with her vocals in the bridge that I do not usually hear, let alone hear well. In the middle of the bridge, Shaw breaks out into a rough scream while Mee continues with her melodious voice. Eventually, Mee breaks her airy voice and joins Shaw with the screaming, actually managing to harmonize their screams.

I was shocked when I first heard it. Sure, many artists attempt to harmonize yelling and screams, but they usually fall short and it ends up sounding incomplete. In this case, Mee’s voice is a huge contrast from Shaw’s that blended surprisingly well in the bridge.

Over the last few months, I have been listening to Hot Milk almost non-stop. Since I first heard her voice, I knew that Han Mee would be one of my favorite female vocalists, purely because of how she is able to manipulate her voice. Mee’s ability to go from an airy head voice to an emotional scream almost instantly is something that deserves more hype.