The Hot Damn! – ‘Dancing On The Milky Way’ [Album Review]

‘Okay, you sexy motherfuckers, are you ready for this?’ screams The Hot Damn vocalist Gill Montgomery on the opening line of “Fizz Buzz Crash.” Now, if there is a better way to grab your attention right from the off, I’m yet to hear it. It’s an attention-grabber, that is for sure, but it is also a statement which highlights the confidence running through the British quartet on their debut album.

So, what are the ingredients that make up this lethal rock cocktail? Well, take a huge splash of memorable hooks, mix in a mouthful of zero fucks given attitude, and a spoonful of sizzling energy. Shake it all up, and you have a cocktail of dancefloor bangers like “Dance Around” and pop-rock, fuck-you anthems like “I Didn’t Like You Anyway” or “Automatic,” the latter has Montgomery sneering “Buckle up buttercups! It’s time to face the facts!”

At its heart, this is a pop-rock album with all the usual traits, but what The Hot Damn! have done is take that blueprint of the genre, ripped it up, cranked it up and smashed it out of the park with a collection of songs that are bigger, louder and more bad-ass than anything all of the other new bands can offer. These are songs that have taken the headstrong attitude of Blondie and mixed it with the ass-kicking attitude of Halestorm, then cranked the whole thing up to twelve.

Of course, it isn’t all about the attitude, though. Throughout Dancing on the Milky Way, the four bandmates share their love of a good pop hook, of which this album has plenty. From opener “Fizz Buzz Crash” through the likes of “Live Laugh Love” and “Can You Hear Me Now?,” The Hot Damn use pop melodies and big hooks to sink this album’s claws deep into your head. Throw in a hard rock solo or two straight from all the classics, and the result is an album of songs that will rock the fuck out of you no matter what mood you’re in.

So, looping right back to where we came in, Montgomery states, “Of course you are!” As a disclaimer, we know she is right, but we’d like to add that if you’re not, you better be, because, once The Hot Damn! hit their stride, there is no holding back.

Dancing on the Milky Way Track Listing:

1. Fizz Buzz Crash
2. Dance Around
3. Jukebox on the Radio
4. I Didn’t Like You Anyway
5. DAMN!DAMN!DAMN!DAMN!
6. Going Down
7. Automatic
8. Live Laugh Love
9. About Last Night
10. Loud and Clear
11. Can You Hear Me Now?
12. Sticky Clubs

Run Time: 43:44
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Record Label: Fat Earth Records