Hot Mulligan ‘Island in the Sun’ Featuring Cory Castro Single

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Published 7 August 2025 by Ned Tepper

Michigan post-emo heavyweights, Hot Mulligan, are back with their latest existential breakdown wrapped in a deceptively upbeat package. ‘Island in the Sun’, featuring Cory Castro of Free Throw, is the second taste of their upcoming fourth album, The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still, due out August 22 via Wax Bodega.

Don’t let the song title fool you, it’s far from a beachside anthem. ‘Island in the Sun’ spirals through self-destruction and dissociation, delivered with the kind of melodic punch that’s become the band’s calling card. Over bright riffs and deceptively sunny chords, frontman Tades Sanville admits, ‘I want to want nothing / To forget what I need to change.’ It’s raw, self-aware, and grimly funny, the way only Hot Mulligan can be.

Hot Mulligan ‘Island In The Sun’ Video

The video, stitched together with tour footage and behind the scenes wildness, captures the band’s world: tired vans, big hooks and an absolute refusal to take themselves too seriously. It’s directed by Michael Herrick, and it hits the same balance the band’s always nailed, emotional devastation with a wink and a shot of cheap whiskey.

Hot Mulligan have come a long way since naming songs with autocorrect roulette and playing house shows in the Midwest. They’ve racked up over 140 million streams, toured with The Wonder Years and Jimmy Eat World and become one of the most beloved names in the emo revival, without ever really caring what anyone expected of them.

‘Island in the Sun’ follows June’s first single ‘And a Big Load’ (below), with both tracks showing off the boldest, version of Hot Mulligan yet. Their new record promises 16 tracks of unfiltered vulnerability, whip smart humour, and the kind of emotional style you scream along to in your car at 2AM.