It's not often that I review an album more than once. However, the vinyl release of Hormones' 2025 debut album
Hot For Hormones is an occasion that has surely called for some fresh ink. When it comes to me and Melbourne's mighty Hormones, it was love at first listen (the date was June 1st of last year). I can say without any intent of exaggeration that
Hot For Hormones is one of the best Ramones-inspired albums I've heard this decade. And to have a label like Stardumb Records that I hold in the highest possible esteem be the one to put it into the world as a vinyl record is something really special for me.
Although the basic musical formula is five decades old, this is truly an album for these times — as these songs tell Betty Hormone's personal story of what it's like to live as trans woman in a transphobic world. The thing that gets me about Hormones is that this band is all about putting more love into the universe. And in telling her story, Betty is telling everyone's story. Don't we all want to be loved and accepted for exactly who we are? Don't we all want to live our best lives with as much joy as possible? Don't we all despise the idea of having to pretend to be the person society wants us to be? While these songs are full of humor & charm and are incredibly fun to sing along with, there's a profound seriousness residing past the surface. Betty's approach to Ramones-ish punk rock wasn't to write dumb, simple songs — it was to write smart, simple songs. She put her soul into these tunes. I've found it interesting yet understandable that Betty is an excellent singer but chose to have someone else sing lead in this band. Joseph Ling does such an amazing job as the vocal embodiment of Betty's lyrics. He's likeable and charismatic yet very down-to-Earth — the perfect person to sing these songs where the vibe runs the gamut from playful to sweet to sexy to sincere. He also has a little bit of a young Robin Gibb thing going vocally, which is 100% unique in the pop-punk genre. It takes complete trust to let another person sing the words that came from your heart, and here that trust has been fully rewarded.
There's a really big distinction between a Ramones inspiration and a Ramones imitation. Hormones don't claim to be the world's most original band, but they aren't trying to be anyone but themselves: the hottest band in the world and fervent supporters of trans rights and trans wrongs. No track exceeds three minutes in length, yet each tells a complete story. In the leadup to this album release, Betty wrote at length on what some of these songs are about. "Out of the House, Out of the Closet" is about being outed against your will before you're truly ready but still moving forward on the path you know you're destined to walk. What might have started as a setback ended up thrusting Beth Seymour into the world — her true self no longer locked away. "I Wanna Be Your Herfriend" is about that fear of what your partner is going to think or say when they see you presenting as your true self for the first time. Luckily for Betty, that situation turned out well. "Hayley Smith" is a loving thank-you note to a high school friend whose fashion sense inspired Betty to eventually become the person she is today. "Transgender Menace" responds to the widespread vilification and demonization of trans people with fearlessness and defiance. "Got My Head Straight (The Rest of Me Got Gay)" tells Betty's personal story of mental health struggles and how addressing those problems empowered her to accept her queerness. "You Don't Have a Son" is the album's most powerful track. Betty lays it all on the line here: the only two outcomes for a trans person are to transition or to eventually end up "six feet underground." I can't imagine being such a monstrous human that you'd rather see a loved one dead than transgender. God, this song tears my heart out. And I don't see how you can listen to a song like "When I Was A Boy (I Was Really A Girl)" and feel anything but love and empathy for the trans people in your life.
There will be different categories of people who will purchase
Hot for Hormones. Perhaps you've heard of Hormones but only buy music on vinyl. Perhaps this is your first exposure to the band. Perhaps you bought the digital album or CD last year but are super stoked to own this title on gorgeous pink, white, or turquoise vinyl released by one of the greatest indie labels that has ever existed. Any way you shake it, this LP coming out on Stardumb Records is an event worth fervently celebrating. For those of you outside the EU, this modern pop-punk masterpiece is also available from The Machine Shop in the U.S., Brassneck! Records in the UK, and Endless Detention Records in Australia!
.jpg)
