It’s rare, considering the turnover rate of this decade’s musicians, for a band that has been relatively successful for a number of years to collectively and amicably decide to call it quits. Many rockers who feel their end drawing near will, in a last desperate attempt to stay afloat, alter their musical style with an album that ultimately leads to their overdue conclusion.
This is absolutely not the case for Hot Hot Heat. The Canadian quartet rode out their wave, never faltering from their signature edgy pop sound. And now they’ve come to bid their fans adieu with their final record, suitably titled Hot Hot Heat.
“Magnitude,” which we are excited to premiere today, has been labeled as the tender spot on the album, drawing on the band’s quieter tendencies. Simple as it may be in contrast to the remaining nine tracks (sans synth, harmony, and horn), the five-minute single swirls around steady percussion and a reliable melody that make for a resilient backboard against frontman Steven Bays’s introspective lyricism.
In the video, Bays spends a night out in the rain, allowing the droplets to collect as he rests at a park bench, then shaking them off as he wanders aimlessly, flailing his arms and twirling his umbrella—a baptism, in a sense, marking the end of an era and a rebirth and dive into the unknowable future.
Hot Hot Heat is out now via Kaw-Liga/Culvert.
