Why Would I Watch
Hot Mulligan hide very little behind the absurd song titles on Why Would I Watch. Family damage, illness, grief and discomfort with your own body all receive unusually direct attention. The jokes mostly stay on the track list. Inside the songs, the band makes bright, elaborate pop-punk feel capable of carrying difficult subjects without making them neat.
“And I Smoke” is a strong example of the balance. Tades Sanville's voice sounds close to its limit, but the drums keep changing their emphasis beneath him. Quick movement, fills and a clear groove give the performance more shape than a continuous rush would. The guitar lines fit around the melody instead of turning every available gap into a display of technique.
“It's a Family Movie She Hates Her Dad” uses contrasting vocals particularly well. Chris Freeman gives Sanville another presence to answer, while the upbeat playing makes the inherited problems in the writing feel more unsettling. The album repeatedly creates that gap between musical pleasure and emotional damage. Its force comes from letting both remain easy to recognize.
“Betty” offers a smaller, more painful scale. Acoustic guitar and whistling frame the loss of a pet with very little protection. “Smahccked My Head Awf” also makes decline personal, leaving enough room for Sanville's vulnerable delivery to matter. These songs show why restraint belongs in the band's vocabulary as much as screaming does. They also stop the larger choruses from flattening every experience into one kind of release.
The very long titles can become distracting, and a few explosive sections feel more automatic than the careful writing around them. “Shhhh! Golf Is On” nevertheless lands with a clear, memorable hook, and the final track gives the record a substantial finish. Why Would I Watch succeeds because the band connects intricate playing to recognizable emotional situations. Its confidence makes room for uncertainty, and that gives the loudest moments a human scale.
