With Raspberry Moon, Hotline TNT has made a shoegaze record that punches through the fog. It’s dreamy, yes—washed in fuzz, tremolo, and shimmering guitar tones—but underneath the haze are tightly crafted, emotionally direct songs that hit like a memory you can’t shake.
Will Anderson, now recording with a full band, has sharpened the project’s sound without sanding off its noise-loving edges. Tracks like “Julia’s War” and “The Scene” balance blown-out distortion with undeniable hooks, while “Was I Wrong?” opens the record with a slow-burn clarity that gradually gives way to full-blown guitar swirl. You can hear shades of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and Dinosaur Jr.’s You’re Living All Over Me, but Hotline TNT isn’t chasing the past—it’s carving out something warmer, more immediate.
There’s a surprising softness beneath all the grit. Even at its loudest, Raspberry Moon feels tender—songs about heartbreak, nostalgia, and longing wrapped in a haze of amps and reverb. This isn’t shoegaze as detachment, but catharsis.
