Hot Lips - Cry Wolf
If you’re looking for a haunting and hard-hitting bit of melodic rock then you need look no further than the latest release from Toronto’s own, Hot Lips! Their new single ‘Cry Wolf’ is one of the best songs I’ve had the pleasure to review lately and that is not just me being nice because I got a little interview out of them.
Imagine, if you will, that Paramore, Evanescence, NIN and The Smiths all got together for a great, big, melancholic musical orgy and that is pretty much what you get with ‘Cry Wolf’. That, mixed with a wonderful panic attack of a song with a little rage against the pity partiers!
To the song…typically, one’s ears are graced with some sort of intro before a song really kicks off…not so with this tune. We get straight to the action with the beautiful and ethereal vocal prowess of Karli Forgèt. One of the best female vocalists I’ve reviewed this year and I’ve covered quite a few!
Of course, the whole track is not all about her. The drive of the song comes from her partners in musical mastery, Alex Black (bass/vocal) and Keith Heppler (drums) who really know how to push a song to its full potential; hammering out catchy and powerful riffs and rhythms that match up with the strength of the vocals flawlessly.
Now look…I could tell you whatever I wanted about this song but you’re going to check it out anyway and form your own opinions as I have done. So why don’t you just see what the band had to say when I asked them about this new work (and a few other things about their process and fans)? Many thanks to Keith for taking the time to answer both my sincere and silly questions! But first…make check out the tune!
Swept: This song was written before the pandemic and while it's said in your EPK that it can be easily connected thematically with the way things are today, what was the original thought behind 'Cry Wolf'?
Hot Lips: The original lyrical theme came from us being sick and tired of people playing the victim card and blaming all their problems on other people, we all have toxic people like that in our lives and it can be very taxing.
Swept: The video was already in the can as well, so was it meant simply as a darkened house representing the mind? Or was it more a hiding place from those who would mean to harm (and do, by the end of the video)?
Hot Lips: Visually we wanted it to feel like you're trapped in your own mind having a panic attack and you can't get out.
Swept: How has the morale of the band been, having to sit out 20 previously scheduled dates, waiting for Covid-19 to take its course?
Hot Lips: We have become pretty used to a constant state of flux in this industry so it's just another obstacle we have to adapt to. We all agreed that any frustration we have regarding the current state of affairs would best be channelled into making music.
Swept: When typically working a song, what's the process like? Do the lyrics show up first? Do you just jam riffs first? Does one person orchestrate or is it collaborative?
Hot Lips: Typically Karli will demo a song with the main melody fully formed and then we work on the arrangement as a band, play it live a few times to see how people respond and then we demo it as a full band.
Swept Is there anything you'd like to say to your current fans? Prospective fans?
Hot Lips: We will see you as soon as we can!
Swept: What can we expect from Hot Lips in the not-so-distant future?
Hot Lips: We recorded some new music with our friend Jon in February and we have another video we are just finishing editing that we will probably put out in the summer. We are starting to get some make-up tour dates in November and December.
Swept: If each band member could take one album with them when trapped on a deserted island for the rest of their life...what album would it be?
Hot Lips: I'm not sure about the other to but I'd venture to guess it would be something by Nine Inch Nails for Alex, maybe the Sneaker Pimps or IMX for Karli and I'd have to say "Swoon" by Silversun Pickups.
There is a little bit of a glimpse into the musical minds of Hot Lips! Toronto, it seems, is full of some of the greatest musical talent out there and I’ve been very lucky to be connected to many musicians there. I am very grateful. Do make sure to support the arts and check out some live streams from performers all over. Buy up their albums or singles online. Order some merch, if you can. Don’t take this universal language for granted.
Oh, and if you really enjoy the song and want some comedic commentary on the music and the video that accompanies it, make sure to check out our latest video review episode of The Single Sweep with special guest Zach Mizzan. Watch us break down the song and the video and get a bunch of our analysis completely wrong!
