Hot Hot Heat announce surprise final album
Share first single “Kid Who Stays in the Picture”
VANCOUVER – Hot Hot Heat reveal details about their new self-titled album, set to be released via Culvert Music on June 24. The ten tracks are filled with infectious pop hooks that are edgy and anthemic.
The album is a celebration of the fans who have supported the band throughout their successful career. It’s the final release from a band that has innovated the indie rock scene since 2002, when they shook dance floors with the release of their explosive debut album
Make Up The Breakdown via legendary Seattle-based label Sub Pop Records.
“To be able to tour from 1999 to 2014 and play hundreds of shows a year was amazing,”frontman Steve Bays says. “It changed all of our lives. It was the greatest experience I could ever imagine. I can relate to our fans and I respect our fans. They are the kind of people I’d hang out with. I’m proud of every single record, and of finding the ground between making it challenging and fresh, but also not being afraid to be entertaining and put on a crazy show. Every show we ever did was just a total high energy spectacle and that’s a great legacy to have.”
Today, Hot Hot Heat premiere the first single, “Kid Who Stays in the Picture,” a song Steve penned about parting ways with a best friend. It has a propulsive and angular sound, reminiscent of their early work. NOISEY shares the tune worldwide.
Written between 2011 and 2014, Hot Hot Heat moves away from the experimental sensibility of 2010’s Future Breeds and looks back to their first two albums for inspiration. The idea was to be as natural as possible and get in touch with their inherent skill for songwriting. After penning a batch of songs, the band gathered in 2014 to record the ten best with Canadian musician and producer Ryan Dahle, who worked on Future Breeds.
“We wanted it to feel cohesive and representative of the aesthetic we were into at that point,” says Steve, who co-produced the album with Ryan in their adjoining studios.
“We wanted it to feel like it was all the same album even though it had been written over several years. The songs are the ten songs we were the most excited about in the moment. The idea behind the album was: If you want to try and do something great, it can only be when the inspiration hits.”
Their signature style pervades the songs, rousing and bursting with energy. “Pulling Levers” reflects on how you can become so different from someone you’ve known. “Modern Mind,” a brash, swaggering dance rock song, asks questions about the concept of the future and presents itself as an ode to art and technology. “Bobby Jones Sex Tape,” a post-punk track filled with swirling synths and a hand-clapped beat, gives the album a sense of boisterous momentum, particularly in its buoyant, hook-laden chorus, while “Magnitude” draws on the band’s simpler tendencies, creating what Steve calls a
“sentimental, pretty song.” “The older I get, the more I like music that is pretty and music that shows vulnerability,” the singer notes.
“I think you can hear that throughout these songs.”
The first single, “Kid Who Stays In the Picture”, is available today via:
iTunes http://smarturl.it/KWSITPiTunes
Apple Music http://smarturl.it/KWSITPAppMsc
Spotify http://smarturl.it/KWSITPSpotify
Fans can also visit the band’s Pledge Music page for exclusive Hot Hot Heat merchandise and to pre-order the new album. http://smarturl.it/HHHPledge
