In the Shadows: Hotline TNT’s Path of Totality Tour

A little over one month into their The Path of Totality tour, which celebrates the release of their latest album, Raspberry Moon, the beloved New York shoegaze band, Hotline TNT, shows no sign of slowing down. With many more dates on their North American tour, as well as European shows from late October until the end of November, the band has been all gas, no breaks. 

Less than a year since their last appearance in Montreal, Hotline TNT once again animated the city’s local venues to a crowd of devoted fans. Whereas last year the band performed at Bar le Ritz PDB, right on the border of Park Extension and the Mile-Ex, this year’s show was in the heart of the Plateau at La Sala Rossa. Opening for them was the Oakland, California-based alternative-rock band Sour Widows, led by the two guitarists-singers Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thomson, who met as teenagers at Summer camp. Their 2024 album, Revival of a Friend, explores the themes of grief and loss, as both Sinaiko and Thomson experienced significant loss in the years leading up to the formation of their band. Their songs, such as Initiation, illustrate the narrator’s journey navigating the loss of a parent. On stage, Thomson’s and Sinaiko’s guitars and voices are in conversation with each other -- supporting and building each other up to produce an entrancing experience. 

Following their opener’s standing ovation, Hotline TNT did not waste any time, swiftly captivating concert-goers from the second they set foot on stage. The musical odyssey that attendees were privy to truly made one forget where they were. Hotline TNT also seemingly has this innate talent in their ability to create smooth song transitions, building a path for the audience to follow on this contemporary shoegaze journey. The band’s show felt too short, even though they were on stage for nearly an hour. They truly leave you wanting more and hoping that your presence in the crowd could somehow persuade them to just play one more song. 

After the show, Hotline TNT’s frontman, Will Anderson, alongside the rest of the band, could be found waltzing in and out of the green room, chatting with fans, as they did the last time they were in Montreal. The band’s show in Montreal also coincided with their announcement that they have left Spotify streaming services, further cementing the importance of physical media and the lack of reliability of online streaming services. 

I had the chance to quickly chat with Will Anderson regarding the band’s decision regarding Spotify. He affirmed that their decision to leave Spotify had “[...] been a long time coming. There's a lot of reasons, too many to get into right now, but I think the future of Spotify is probably going to be something like what Facebook looks like right now, just like a bunch of artificial intelligence slop that nobody really contributes to, besides robots. So trying to get away from that stuff, you know.” 

The Hotline TNT experience never disappoints, leaving you wanting more from a band that cares deeply about their craft and the music ecosystem in which they find themselves. 

You can listen to Hotline TNT music everywhere except Spotify.