ROO AOTD #39 Hot Mulligan

All aboard the hype train for Bonnaroo 2026! Only 92 days until we are all on the Farm again, can you believe it? It’s coming up fast, and we can’t wait to be dancing with all of you at Bonnaroo! Today’s Artist of the Day is the one and only Hot Mulligan. Learn more about the artist below. Don’t forget to check out all of our artist spotlights! Thank you for reading these posts!

Artist Biography

Hot Mulligan is the Lansing, Michigan–formed emo and pop-punk collective whose ascent from DIY basement shows to international festival stages reflects the enduring vitality of the modern emo revival. Founded in 2014 by vocalist Nathan “Tades” Sanville and guitarist-vocalist Chris Freeman, the band expanded into a five-piece featuring guitarist Ryan “Spicy” Malicsi, bassist Jonah Kramer, and drummer Brandon Blakeley, forging a sound defined by tangled guitar interplay, emotionally raw vocal delivery, and humor-tinged song titles that belie the intensity of their lyrics. Early EPs like Fenton and Honest & Cunning introduced the group to underground audiences before a deal with No Sleep Records led to their debut album Pilot (2018), followed by the widely praised You’ll Be Fine (2020), which sharpened their balance of melodic pop-punk momentum and confessional Midwest-emo storytelling. Subsequent releases—including Why Would I Watch (2023) and the ambitious The Sound a Body Makes When It’s Still (2025)—expanded their sonic architecture through heavier dynamic shifts, intricate guitar textures, and cathartic sing-along choruses. Across relentless touring and an ever-growing online following, Hot Mulligan has become one of the defining voices of contemporary emo, translating tightly constructed studio arrangements into explosive live performances that fuse technical precision with unfiltered emotional energy.

Genre

Indie Emo, Pop-Punk

Scheduled at Bonnaroo

Friday (Link to Daily)