Hotline TNT, a buzzy New York shoegaze/punk band, rolled through Los Angeles last Thursday and blew the roof off the building.
While the small stage was filled to the brim with musicians, Hotline TNT is the product of just one songwriter. Will Anderson writes all of the music and recruits a talented supporting cast to create the wall of sound he’s become known for.
With 5 EPs and a studio album, Anderson didn’t really break through until 2023’s Cartwheel was released on Jack White’s Third Man Records. The album is a non-stop barrage of power pop and distorted guitar, with lyrics that illustrate Anderson’s interpersonal ecosystem.
The show opened with Cartwheel mid-tempo banger “Protocol”. It’s a fan favorite already and was an appropriate warm up for what was to come. Throughout the rest of the setlist, the band played a couple more tracks from Cartwheel and really mixed it up from there. We got a couple from his first album Nineteen in Love (“Stampede” closed the show and took the last bit of hearing I had for the night) and a few more across his various EPs. While Hotline TNT has blown up a bit recently, it’s not hard to conquer the whole discography and you could tell the crowd was familiar with everything played.
On past tours, you may have seen Hotline TNT open for Snail Mail, Wednesday, or a number of other indie darlings. While they fit that bill just fine, from the looks of it on Thursday night, they’re ready for their close up. Just wear earplugs.
Hotline TNT continues their tour across the US before heading to Europe in mid-April into the summer. You can see a full list of tour dates and check out some tracks here.
Photos + Review by Andrew Ameter | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!