Album Review: Hot Breath – Rubbery Lips

Hot Breath is an odd choice of band name, it’s one that associated with the morning after the night before, when you could strip paint with your breath before you get to the bathroom to exorcise at least some of the demons that lurk after those nights out. But fear not, Gothenburg’s Hot Breath are not something you want to brush away, they are set to return with their debut studio album “Rubbery Lips“, that follows on their self titled debut EP that was released back in the halcyon pre-pandemic days of 2019. “Rubbery Lips” will be released next week on vinyl, CD and digital formats via that home of Scandinavian rock ‘n roll, The Sign Records.

What you get on “Rubbery Lips” is a head on collision between straight up rock and dirty garage scuzz that is delivered with a hit of punk energy to keep things flowing along, take the opening track, ‘Right Time‘, that initially sounds like a heavy version of The Sonics but swiftly goes through the gears and becomes a fist raising hit of rock ‘n roll that owes more of a debt to AC/DC than to the MC5. With exception of the darker, and eighties rock fuelled ‘Who’s The One‘ Hot Breath keep the throttle planted firmly on the floor, this full tilt rock ‘n roll that manages to avoid slipping into the excesses and self indulgence that can mar such records

Hot Breath‘s origins clearly lie in heavy rock, with the band originally formed from ex-members of Honeymoon Disease, Hypnos and Grand, and make no mistake, it is the band’s rock roots that power “Rubbery Lips“, but like any custom rat rod this has been supercharged by elements of garage rock and punk rock that are thrown into the high octane mix. If you miss The Donnas mix of punk rock and hard rock, and I count myself amongst the number, then Hot Breath will scratch your itch with their “Rubbery Lips“.

“Rubbery Lips” will be released on the 9th April and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.