Hot Hot Heat - Hot Hot Heat

Hot Hot Heat
Hot Hot Heat
2016
Spotify

Almost everyone has probably listened to Hot Hot Heat's breakout song "Bandages". It was massive and it was everywhere. From Dance Parties to Indie clubs Hot Hot Heat seemed like the next wave in the Strokes and The Hives takeover of modern music. Their impact was short lived however with a sophomore release that did almost nothing a a few more record which never really put them back in the public consciousness. I'm re-hashing the past for a purpose, because Hot Hot Heat for the most part have not moved on, nor changed their sound all that much. For many bands this would be a knock against them, but somehow this album has come full circle and put them back where they began. That starting point actually represents their finish however as the band have announced that Hot Hot Heat will be their final record. It is a sad thing because this is probably their best since their debut. This record is rich and deep, full of the tinny voice guitar heavy songs that we fell in love with in the first point. But you can tell that time has really worn on the band as for much of the record they seem to be sleeping through it. If this though is what they can do with little to no effort, we really should be in the Hot Hot Heat business. If a song like "Magnitude" would have been on their first album it would have had more energy and been a massive hit, but some fourteen years on it is just OK.

The rest of the album follows suit hovering somewhere around just ok and pretty good never really blowing you away with something new or truly recapturing what Make Up The Breakdown was truly about. The pace is never there, the stakes never seem very real and the band is happy to trail off into the sunset without really making that final impact. "Mayor of the City" is perhaps the most egregious on the record having almost zero energy from start to finish. Even when singer Steve Bays picks up the pace and almost raps over "Alaskan Midnight Sun" it is done with an almost disdain for having to be involved. This really though is a metaphor for their career. They never really went all in to be the biggest band in the world instead they were content to put out some records in their genre and move on with their lives. It is a some what noble pursuit, but robs the audience of that drive it takes to make truly special music. "Comeback of the Century" is a real bright spot on this album and is the beginning of the final three tracks we'll hear from the band. While these songs are good, potentially really good, they let the band sort of fade away rather than blow the whole thing up. It may be the end, and maybe that's a good thing, but at least we have a few memorable tracks to hold on to for the rest of time.

6.9 out of 10