"We just want to make music that will help people feel something," says Hot Milk's Hannah Mee. On their 2023 debut album 'A Call To The Void', that meant mining their personal experiences to create emotionally complex guitar anthems that flirted with dance, indie and pop. The follow-up, 'Corporation P.O.P.', is out now. Written in just three weeks, created using only analogue instruments and co-produced by the band's Jim Shaw, it could be described as a back-to-basics rock album if it wasn't so ambitious.

"The first album was made up of songs we'd written at different times and then put together. It felt a little bit like a Frankenstein's monster because we were just working out how to even do an album. This time, we had a better idea of what we wanted, and that was to make something that no one else could do. It's how our favourite bands wrote albums before the internet existed," Jim explains. "It's very reactionary because we had such a limited time to do it."

"It was an intense writing experience that I don't want to do again," adds Han, who already has her eyes set on a more local studio for album three. "We haven't followed trends with 'Corporation P.O.P.'. We're not trying to chase the next big thing. It was more about creating a solid, truthful moment because that's the stuff that lasts. This is perhaps the most Hot Milk we've ever been, and that's a beautiful thing."

It wasn't created to get more listeners, though that hasn't stopped new fans from coming on board thanks to snotty singles 'Swallow This' and '90 Seconds To Midnight'. "I just wanted to serve the people that have served us over the past few years and strengthen that foundation."

Rather than worrying about writing radio-friendly singles or creating moments that could be turned into a 30-second flex for TikTok ("You do that, you're immediately making your art disposable," says Jim), the band focused on making music that would uplift their already impressive live show. Later this year, they'll headline Manchester's Victoria Warehouse and London's Roundhouse. "We're not really an internet band, but we can shift tickets," she smirks. "A Hot Milk gig is essentially a punk show. It's hard, heavy and aggressive. We wanted that reflected in this album."

'Corporation P.O.P' was written and recorded in Los Angeles while the US elections were taking place and Reform UK were beginning to cause unwelcome waves back home. "Everything just felt like it was becoming more and more shit," says Han. Hot Milk's music has always had a touch of social commentary to it, "but we wanted to be more out there on this one," she continues. "That's why it's so angry. How could I not write about it when this is all I talk about in the pub with all my friends?"

When she was younger, Hannah was inspired by outspoken punk bands Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Rancid and Rage Against The Machine before going on to study Politics at University. "With this album, I wanted to write tunes that might have sparked something within me if I heard them as a teenager."

The record starts with '(How Do I) Make The Devil Fall Asleep', a furious, frustrated anthem that came from too many sleepless nights worrying about the state of the world. "Climate change, war… you just feel helpless," says Jim. "There is just this little niggling voice constantly in the back of my head, telling me that things have gone too far," adds Han. "It's all very dramatic and confusing. You either want to give up or try and fix things." Right now, she's somewhere in the middle.

The rest of 'Corporation P.O.P.' is just as undecided, swinging between snarling fury, glitching euphoria and something a lot bleaker. The album's title ('Corporation Payment Of Pain') is about how suffering in this country has become as common as tap water, and while the anger softens as the album progresses, the final track, 'Sympathy Symphony' is about being overwhelmed by the never-ending spiral of doom. "We've recently come to the conclusion that this album is about everything I'm scared of," says Han. "It's an album from a place of fear."

It all sounds very depressing, but there's more to 'Corporation P.O.P.' than a blunt reminder of how terrible things feel right now.

"I don't want to just shout at people. I wanted the politics to be a bit more quippy, a bit more tongue in cheek," says Han. "I wanted it to have that British element of smiling when you should be grimacing ." It's why the video for '90s Seconds To Midnight' has Frank Skinner happily ignorant about the end of the world and 'Insubordinate Ingerland' has smirking lyrics like "Cuppa tea, bourgeoisie, mushy pea, England." The whole thing is smart and funny without feeling cheap. The more you listen, you more you discover, but it never feels like a lecture. "It feels like the real-life conversations that we all have".

"I wanted to keep it light as well as serious because that's who we are as people. We're not afraid of taking the piss," says Han. They looked at Soft Play, British Grime and northern poets such as John Cooper Clarke for inspiration. "We wanted to make sure people didn't feel too empty at the end of the record. I would hate for someone to feel even worse after listening to it. It's why the tragedy and comedy thing is so important."

"I don't think it's the sort of album that will change the world because I don't think music can provide that rallying point anymore," she adds. "I hope it offers people an understanding that they're not the only ones feeling like this. I hope there's a sense of camaraderie to it."

"I think it's also a knock at the door of ignorance as well," says Jim. "Some people are quite happy to see their fellow man struggle and dismiss it as 'not their problem', but it might become their problem in the future if you don't speak up now," says Jim. "We never want to shove our opinions down people's throats; we're digesting what's paraded in front of us and regurgitating it in a way that hopefully isn't as heavy or depressing."

It's a chaotic, noisy, ferocious album, but it's also seen Han and Jim "make peace" with what Hot Milk is. "To be ok with who you are is a beautiful thing," says Han.

The band don't have answers about the absolute state of things, but they know community is an important tool in getting through the day. "We didn't grow up with religion. Live music was the closest we got to church, and rock music has that effect on a lot of people," Han explains. Making music, playing gigs, "that's our way of connecting with a vast group of people. To be understood is a privilege and we want to make sure that when people come to see us, they feel part of something."