Hotline TNT – Raspberry Moon
On their latest album, a newly collaborative approach is a good look on the NYC outfit
Until Raspberry Moon, Hotline TNT was essentially the solo project of Will Anderson, with a revolving door of backing musicians and internecine disputes. But with the (reluctant) surrender of full control comes an album that is bigger in both sound and heart: a true embrace of community and emotional transparency.
The towering wall of guitars are immediate on Was I Wrong? Electric, acoustic, even a hint of southern twang; it's all there in this mini-epic that shows that insecurities can be kept at bay as long as your band has your back (a running theme). Hotline TNT have always been shoegaze-adjacent, but Raspberry Moon is a full-throated embrace: the overpowering washes of guitar and reverb don't give an inch to Anderson's impassioned pleas and the hooks are fuzzier than ever.
Sometimes it feels like the only way is through for Anderson, but towards the end of this album there's a genuine sense that the graft is finally paying off. Candle is vomit-inducingly saccharine on the lyric sheet, but his treacle-slow delivery makes you sit with these remarkably open sentiments. Anderson has never met a syllable he couldn't draw out to three and if you're in the right frame of mind there's something downright heart-warming about an elongated line like: 'I'm not scared / To / Find new things / To / Share'. Raspberry Moon brings out the best of what the Hotline TNT project can offer; it's an emo-shoegaze-indie-noise-pop melting pot that hits just right.
Listen to: The Scene, If Time Flies