This time of year can be strange for a lot of people. For some, the holidays signal spending time with people you don’t get along with, or not having people to spend it with at all. For others, the impending end of the year — or in this case, the whole decade — can bring up anxieties about not being where we envisioned we’d be back on January 1st. Now, I’m not trying to say Hot Mulligan is the cure to these problems, but I’ve found that “Feal Like Crab” is a great addition to a larger treatment plan.
As someone whose spent their entire adult life working in music spaces, my confidence is immediately broken every time I consider applying for a non-music job. While I’m sure I have things to offer in careers outside of my specialty, I know my resume doesn’t show this in the way most HR software will process. The lyrics to this track made me feel seen in a way I don’t often find. I have definitely considered selling blood or plasma. It just seems more reasonable than applying to a marketing job without a university degree or 6 years experience in an office setting (for an entry level gig, no less).
It’s a feeling I’m sure a lot of people in our generation — and more specifically, our industry — have felt before. We all ~feal like crab~ sometimes, but even more so when our valid accomplishments don’t fit the mold of how others see success. Hot Mulligan have captured the pain and urgency of reaching a point where you feel your work should have more tangible rewards to show people, but you’re still spending 80% of your time in this van that might break down on this next winter tour through the midwest. It’s raw and exhilarating all at once. Despite the lyrics being so self-deprecating, it doesn’t come off that way. Perhaps it would to someone who doesn’t share their concerns, but for those of us going through it… it feels good to hear someone else say it for once.
The consolation here is this: that urgency usually acts as a precursor to the moment it all connects. It’s like your body knows before your mind does that everything is about to change, and that’s absolutely how I see this next year going for Hot Mulligan. After years of touring & putting out strong releases, they’ve reached a point where I consistently hear their names coming up as the next band posed to break. While they may not be verified yet on Twitter (as we are all reminded daily by Eric from Heart Attack Man) they’ve become a respected staple of our scene. And I think that counts for as much as a promotion at the bank or a law degree.
