Hot Mulligan is back with a new single titled “Shhhh! Golf is On” off of their upcoming album Why Would I Watch? due May 12. The track takes the listener on many twists and turns, through highs and lows, all while keeping them on their toes, wondering what will be said next.
The song begins suddenly, with heavy guitars as vocals cut in singing, “Can't stand the fact I know where you are/Ten years, I still try to spot your car.” Already the lyrics are very relatable to a lot of people who have gone through breakups, sometimes you still are haunted by the memory of that person, and as they sing, still try to look for them through their car models or feel those memories plaguing the town they live in. The chorus picks up the energy tenfold as they sing “There's nothing special in the water here/There's no reason you should feel the need to stay/You've ruined everything you touched 'round here,” making the listener want to get up and jump around, but also feel that sense of relatability again because you may not like to be in certain places because of a certain person, and might even avoid them altogether. The refrain is one of the best parts of the song because I can imagine a whole crowd of people singing “Re-check/change.”
Something really interesting that Hot Mulligan does is slow the song down at a part where one might not expect a bridge to come, right in the middle of the track. It feels almost trippy as the tempo changes, and other vocals are brought in. It makes you feel saddened in a way as they sing, “You're tired at roll call/You should learn to play hooky from me/It's total recall.” I enjoy listening to this part and find myself coming back to it, because it is so organic and refreshing to hear, and it washes away those energetic feelings and makes you feel emotional. They quickly pick back up and don’t let those feelings last as they go right back into singing “Re-check/Change.”
The rest of the song includes added vocals in the background, whenever they would sing the chorus, other voices would be singing lyrics from other parts of the song, which to me could signify hearing the voices of someone you once loved coming back to haunt you. Hot Mulligan doesn’t let the song end there though, they let you know how angry they still are as they sing, “Color it out/Your pictures of me/Color it out/Thought I stole everyone when we left.” They are still upset at the breakup and still despise that person, and hope they sink away and stop intruding on their thoughts.
Overall, the new Hot Mulligan track “Shhhh! Golf is On” makes me feel all sorts of emotions, from angry to sad to happy, all in about three minutes. It is one I would leave on repeat because it is almost addicting, with melodic drums and signature emo guitar strums. This song will be something special to hear live, and if their new album keeps up this energy, it will be one to not miss!
