Stay Classy is the début album from genre-blender band The Hottness, and it opens with the sound of someone taking a leak. Literally.
This pissing preliminary swiftly gives way to some straight-up chunky Southern metal. But then something strange happens … “Straight Brown” suddenly gains screeching call-back vocals and a metalcore breakdown. Once you’ve gotten your head wrapped around that, you get T-boned by some melodic chorus vocals a la West Coast punk, the rhythm kinda switches around a bit, and it’s still the same song, but, y’know, different.
This sort of three-faced thing is The Hottness’ ace in the hole - as well as the driving focus of Stay Classy, an album which throws metalcore, Southern rawk and melodic punk in a blender and spits out ten pacey tunes that are low on bullshit posturing and high on catchy changes. But the risk involved should be obvious; it’s damned hard to focus on a moving target. Just ask your local roof-top sniper.
Maybe I’m getting cynical, but I worry a bit when the promo blurb for Stay Classy talks about The Hottness “breath[ing] life into a … stagnant, deteriorating scene”, the scene in question being the “already over-populated Southern Rock/Metalcore scene”. I’ve no beef with the accuracy of what’s being said there, but it feels like it was written by someone on the back-foot, someone who feels the need to apologise on behalf of the album before I’ve even had a chance to hear it.
The real shame of it is they don’t need to be apologised for, and I’d suggest the Ferret Music folk are aiming The Hottness at the wrong pigeonholes. While the metalcore and whiskey rock are present in significant degrees, Stay Classy is at its core a punk album, especially in terms of song structure. “Still Standing” is probably the apogee of this tendency, brimming with all the energy and pace you can squeeze from four chords and something to say.
The Southern style is more obvious in the swaggering riffs of “This City Is Ours” and the bluesy crunch of the opening section of “Classy”, and the metalcore influence scatters itself all over Stay Classy as half-speed breakdowns and the occasional harmonic pinch, but it’s rare that The Hottness get everything to combine in equal balance
“Dearly Departed” hits the compromise just right with simple powerful riffs, melodic vocals balanced by the screech-outs and some restrained but hooky lead guitar work … then everything shudders to a halt for a seamless breakdown bridge before The Hottness pick up the punk pace and race for the finish line. It’s a great tune, easily the best on Stay Classy, and shows what a true synthesis of these three styles could achieve. It’s like the difference between blended whiskey and a fine single malt.
The Hottness are very promising. As début albums go, Stay Classy has an enviable degree of diversity contained in songs that demonstrate an evident ear for the hooks. That diversity is a double-edged sword, though – it dilutes The Hottness’ sonic identity and makes them sound like a noise in search of a scene.
But scenes aren’t made; they form themselves around bands that innovate. Once The Hottness settle down, stop hedging their bets and follow their musical hearts, they’ll be strong contenders indeed. In the meantime, though, I’ll be watching out for them on the UK tour circuit.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: hardcore, metalcore, punk, Southern metal, Stay Classy, The Hottness
