It’s fitting that within 24 hours of rounding up what we consider to be the 25 best Milwaukee albums of 2015, Milwaukee’s Hot Coffin unveils a song that, if any indication of the caliber of the other seven songs on the forthcoming release, is likely to be one of the 25 best Milwaukee albums of 2016. “Whistle, Hawk & Spit” is the first single from the rock quartet’s self-titled album that’s due out in January. Hot Coffin will be the band’s first full release since putting out its debut full-length, LAW, in early 2013, and the first with longtime Disguised As Birds singer Chris Chuzles—who replaced Sean Williamson—at the helm in early 2014.
On “Whistle, Hawk & Spit,” Chuzles makes his presence known with his familiar ominous and imposing vocal timbre that, when merged with the driving, no-nonsense guitar licks of Christian Hansen (Whips) and the raucous rhythm section composed of Joe Kanack (Red Knife Lottery) and Jon Kraft (Sincebyman, The Response), brings about exactly 200 seconds of delightful devastation. Before Hot Coffin strikes Milwaukee’s ear drums in early 2016, stream the record’s first single, only at Milwaukee Record.