Album Review: HotWax - 'Hot Shock'
HotWax deliver a hot shock with their pacemaker destroying debut album.
The 2020s have spoiled the UK with incredible rock bands, and perhaps no act embodies this more than the Hastings three-piece HotWax. Barely in their twenties themselves, the band has shown an undeniable dedication to rock ’n’ roll, seemingly fueled by natural talent, though it wouldn’t be surprising if they’d made a deal with the devil.
Since the turn of the decade, the trio has been ever-present, relentlessly touring with energy and raw intensity. Over the past two years, they’ve clocked 150 shows, including festival appearances and support slots with the likes of South Coast pals Royal Blood.
It takes just ten seconds of Hot Shock to hear the hype is real. Opening with one of the album’s earliest singles, She’s Got a Problem, the band bursts out of the gate with thundering drums, room-shaking basslines, and infectious riffs, an explosive introduction to a rock project of gladiatorial magnitude.
Described by bassist Lola Sam as an “explosion of colour,” the album is exactly that, an electrifying rush of chaos and energy. It’s a beautifully unhinged expression of youth, a blistering soundtrack reaching out to prospective rockers growing up in a genre-less, overly politicised musical landscape.
The high production value, courtesy of Catherine Marks (boygenius, Wolf Alice), Steph Marziano (Hayley Williams, Let’s Eat Grandma), and Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, elevates the band’s sound beyond their previous work. It sharpens their raw intensity, pulling them from the murky depths of post-punk into pure, unfiltered rock ’n’ roll.
The album’s musicality balances brooding intensity with anthemic energy. Tallulah Sim-Savage’s vocals have never sounded better, particularly on Wanna Be a Doll, where her dark, commanding presence takes center stage. This is followed by another vocal triumph in Strange to Be Here, with a powerful chorus and guttural punk screams at their peak. Marks’ influence on the vocal production is evident here, with layered ethereal harmonies weaving into the mix. This theme continues in Dress Our Love, a swaggering, attitude-laden banger.
What HotWax has achieved on Hot Shock is the refinement of a sound that is unmistakably their own, while drawing clear inspiration from modern rock heavyweights, most notably, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The album is a feast, guaranteed to leave rock fans grinning ear to ear.
Hot Shock feels like a time capsule buried at the decade’s midpoint, capturing the resurgence of rock bands. And if anyone should be leading this movement, it’s HotWax. Having exploded onto the scene in the early 2020s, they’re now on the path to cementing themselves as one of the defining bands of their generation. With this soaring, grungy record — packed with enough grit to build a house — they continue to carve out their place.
Their music is made for the stage, built to electrify a crowd so quite cleverly the band experimented by recording songs live in front of an audience at London’s RAK Studios, and the payoff is huge. The sound across the album is massive; HotWax haven’t just got their foot in the door, they’ve kicked it down and set it on fire.
The second half of the album delivers even more wonderfully dark surprises. The sonic and lyrical storytelling on In Her Bedroom and Lights On is visceral. The band’s synergy is seamless. Every drum breakdown, time shift, bassline, and guitar riff lands at the perfect moment. They say great bands have great drummers, well, consider HotWax a great band, because Alfie Sayers’ drumming is electrifying. His precision and effortless energy are so relentless, you’d think they’d have to change his batteries by now.
The album closes with Pharmacy, its most stripped-back moment. With its low, hypnotic tones and shifting snare, it has the air of a folk-like chant, conjuring imagery of a different era. It’s a fitting cooldown, easing the listener back to earth after the whirlwind of sonic chaos that came before it.
One of the album’s most admirable qualities is its efficiency, no song exceeds four minutes, some barely breaching three. This tight, no-frills approach reflects a confidence that every great rock album should have. There’s no filler, no excess, just pure, electrifying quality, making Hot Shock incredibly digestible while still leaving you wanting more.
The highly anticipated Hot Shock is, without a doubt, one of the decade’s greatest debuts. As HotWax’s platform continues to grow, there’s every hope that this record will become a defining rock album of the 2020s.
Words by Adam Mir
