2024 sees Hot Water Music celebrate 30 years as a band. It coincides with the release of their 10th album – ‘Vows’. Having become an enduring pillar of American punk over the past three decades, Hot Water Music has, in some shape or form, influenced a myriad of bands. Amongst them is Thrice. Recent single, ‘Fences’, sees the Californian post-hardcore group team up with the Gainesville, Florida greats.
Together, they create a tight-knit, palpable number that captures HWM‘s heart-tugging emotion with Thrice‘s angular musicianship. Backed by “ooh ooh oohs” and Chuck Ragan’s weathered vocals, it gives ‘Vows’ plenty of potential. Lyrically, it sees Ragan comment on how easy it can be to forget important things when they’re so much going on every day. “One of the toughest things in life is remembering and recognising the importance of living in the moment,” Hot Water Music commented. “With so many distractions in our day-to-day lives, it becomes easy to get lost in the noise of this society and lose focus of our true and present purpose.”
The collaboration with Thrice is one of several feature spots on ‘Vows’. Accompanying single, ‘Remnants’, sees Turnstile’s Brendan Yates and Daniel Yang lending their talents. While City & Colour (Alexisonfire’s Dallas Green), The Interrupters, and Calling Hours also make guest appearances on the record.
Despite the numerous guests, Hot Water Music are not resting on their legacy. ‘Vows’ sees them with one eye on the future. “The theme that kept coming up while working on this record was growth — how writing a song, recording an album, or being in a band is like planting a seed and helping it grow,” the band said. “We think a lot of that had to do with looking back and realising that over 30 years, we’ve managed to make something special that we all really love.”
It’s no doubt that Hot Water Music show a thirst for making music, yet appreciates what they have done to get this far. “Everyone spent a lot of time reflecting on the journey that got us here and thinking about what we want the trajectory to be from here on out while making this record,” the band summarises. “We hope this album feels like a celebration of our history and future to everyone that hears it. That is definitely what it is and how it feels to us.”
1. Menace2. Searching For Light
3. Burn Forever
4. After The Impossible
5. Remnants
6. Chewing On Broken Glass
7. Fences
8. Side Of The Road
9. Wildfire
10. Bury Us All
11. Touch The Sun
12. Much LovePre-order here.
UK fans will be able to celebrate Hot Water Music‘s 30th anniversary later this month.
22nd SWX, Bristol
23rd O2 Islington Academy, London
24th Concorde 2, Brighton
26th Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
27th Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
28th Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
29th Slay, Glasgow
30th Manchester Punk Festival
‘Vows’ by Hot Water Music is released on 10th May 2024 on End Hits Records (UK/EU) / Equal Vision (US).
Find Hot Water Music on: Facebook | X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Linktr.ee | Website
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