On Thursday, November 2nd of 2023, the music industry was blessed with another release from Los Angeles post-hardcore band Hot Nife. If you have any self-respect, you better get on your favorite streaming platform and experience the best 5 minutes and 58 seconds of your life.
The single drop included two songs, starting with Knuckle Tight. The song opens with a strong vocal line and driving bass and drums, highlighting vocalist and writer Luis Ho’s insane skills.
The opening line, “Head in hands, on the driver side, I’m praying for mercy tonight, and I’m knuckle tight,” sets the scene for the rest of the track.
Knuckle Tight seems to be about the internal struggle of wanting to combat anxieties involving finding one’s place in the world, and feeling as though you’ve been fighting for too long.
“Throwing fists at the world, my knees are sore from the heavy lifting of this burden, I’ll speak up this time, I’ll pull back the curtain.”
At some points of the song, we hear layered vocals over lines of emphasis. A scratchy, strained, screaming vocal layered beneath a clearer vocal track. Throughout the song, we switch tempos from slow to majorly fast at a moments notice; impressive drumming from Alec Asatoorian, and speedy guitar from Lukas Hutzler — who also co-wrote, mixed and mastered the singles.
At around 1:45, the song stops, vocals drop off, and we move to a fast drumming and tapping guitar riff section, where the musicians repeatedly pause at the exact same second, providing a brief moment of silence for the listener to process. Classic Hot Nife.
Knuckle Tight unfortunately ends, but don’t fret, we are about to seamlessly transition to the next new track — Capricious.
Capricious is defined as “given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior,” which can be seen in the track itself. We begin the song with eerie, ringing guitar strums, and angry, emotional vocalism. At the end of certain lines, Ho’s vocals ring out, reverberating and echoing in your ears.
Drums are grooving, while guitar ebbs and flows between louder and quieter riffs. The skills presented by guitarist Hutzler on this track are unmatched.
At around 2:05, the song seems to end, until Hutzler returns with a slow and emotional riff, relating back to the very definition of Capricious, as we have unexpectedly changed moods from fast and angry to slow and evocative.
This lone slow guitar riff takes us through the rest of the track, until it fades out and the song comes to an end.
Once again, Hot Nife’s unique mixture of classic/90s emo, math rock, and hardcore vocals and drums continues to set them apart. Their sound is reminiscent of early Unwound and Boys Life, two integral 90s emo bands.
The skills heard and seen from Luis Ho, Lukas Hutzler and Alec Asatoorian will amaze listeners; when streaming music or when watching Hot Nife perform live.
Hot Nife is set to perform at the Moroccan Lounge tomorrow, November 3rd 2023 at 8 p.m. They plan on performing these new singles live at the show — you definitely won’t want to miss.
I personally can’t wait to see what Hot Nife has coming for the future. The music industry shall forever be irrevocably altered.
Check out Hot Nife on Instagram to stay up to date on new releases and shows. Stream the new singles on Spotify or Apple Music.