REVIEW: Hot Milk - Corporation P.O.P.

Hot Milk’s second full-length album, Corporation P.O.P., is a thunderous, emotionally raw, and politically charged record. Across 14 sprawling tracks, the Manchester-born band unleashes a barrage of fury and frustration aimed at the powers that be, from broken British institutions to the global machinery of oppression, without ever losing their signature sound - hook-laden, genre-melding, and defiant. Their blend of pop-punk attitudes with post-hardcore intensity has made them a vital force in the scene, and Corporation P.O.P. feels like a natural evolution of that legacy.

The record kicks off with a gut-punch on ‘(How Do I) Make The Devil Fall Asleep’. It’s a storming opener with tight riffs, an urgent tempo, and a vocal performance from Han Mee that practically quakes with rage. Her voice shakes in the first verse, brittle with emotion, as if she’s barely able to hold it all in. It’s gripping from the first line and sets the tone for what follows. Next is ‘INSUBORDINATE INGERLAND’, which starts with a train announcement for Manchester Airport, a small nod to the band’s roots. “[Manchester] is intrinsic to me and who I am” Han Mee says, and this track makes good on that sentiment. Lyrically, it’s a searing critique of how Britain’s working class has been abandoned, cloaked in tongue-in-cheek nationalism. Lyrics like “I’m England till I die” might sound like a football chant, but here they drip with irony; it’s not a celebration, it’s an outcry from someone who knows there’s no easy escape from the mess we’re all in.

While ‘INSUBORDINATE INGERLAND’ stares down national decay, ‘The American Machine’ broadens the scope. It takes aim at the state of U.S. politics, though the band makes it clear they’re not just swinging wildly at the country - they’re lashing out at systems of hate and greed. As they put it, the track “is not anti-American, it is anti-asshole, anti-hate, anti-oligarch”. Vocally, it’s classic Hot Milk, with Han Mee and Jim Shaw bouncing between clean and harsh vocals, giving every line the weight it deserves. 

The band’s willingness to experiment is part of what keeps Corporation P.O.P. feeling fresh across its generous run time. ‘Hell Is On Its Way’ threads a slick, electronic vocal effect through its intro and chorus, adding a cold mechanic edge to its apocalyptic themes. We hear something similar in a later track, ‘Warehouse Salvation’, which implements some electronic dance elements, giving it an almost industrial metal sound. Hot Milk blends the new textures seamlessly into their hard-hitting rock foundation, which is a true testament to their growing confidence as artists. 

Closing track ‘Sympathy Symphony’ changes the pace, offering a moment of reflection after the chaos of the previous tracks. The first half is stripped back and contemplative, with devastating lines like “the resentment creeps like a fiend” landing hard in the quiet moments of this song. Just when you think the album might fade away peacefully, it builds into one final storm of sound. Culminating in screams that dissolve into glitchy, mechanical noise, it’s a haunting end that mirrors the industrial rot the band spent the entire album rallying against. 

Produced in part by Jim Shaw himself, alongside Zach Jones and KJ Strock, this album captures the full spectrum of Hot Milk’s sound and ambition. The intensity is palpable, with nothing feeling over-polished and manufactured, but still sounding incredibly tight throughout. One potential point of contention could be the album’s length: though not uncommon to have a 14 track album, a lot of recent releases have leaned more towards an 8 to 10 track count. Corporation P.O.P. is undeniably a lot to take in, but it feels entirely intentional. Hot Milk isn't trying to be digestible. There’s far too much to say, and too much wrong in the world to condense their fury into a tidy 10 track package.

Corporation P.O.P. is bold, uncompromising, and loaded with the kind of urgency that comes from trying to survive a collapsing world. With this album, Hot Milk has proved that they’re not just another alternative band with a vague message of resistance. They’re an unstoppable force that isn’t backing down anytime soon.

Score: 8/10

Corporation P.O.P. will be released on June 27th 2025 via Music For Nations.

Words: Zuzanna Pazola

Photos: Hot Milk