THEY'VE been hailed as 'The Canadian Strokes' and provoke comparisons
with The Cure and Inspiral Carpets, but there is no getting
away from the fact that Hot Hot Heat are one of the hippest
bands of the moment.
Current single, Bandages, with its hammond organs and
catchy lyrical style, epitomises the sound of the debut album
- a hopelessly cheery collection of three-minute post-punk pop
songs, which combine the sound of mod, ska, and punk to breathless,
giddy effect.
Comprised of Steve Bays (vocals, keyboards), Dante DeCaro (guitar),
Paul Hawley (drums) and Dustin Hawthorne (bass), the Canadian
foursome have already created big waves in their home country,
while the ripple is extending to Britain and America.
Yet their allure lies in the simplicity of their records, most
of which seem over as quickly as they begin. Take, for instance,
the hyperactive Naked In The City Again, which combines
the confusing nature of women with being lost in a big city,
or the deliriously angst-ridden Oh, Goddamnit, which
again features a lost love; both hopelessly breezy explosions
of joy that bring out the best in the sparkling guitars, crisp
piano notes and ever-present drum loops.
The rest of the album belts along in similar fashion, driven
by Bays' giddy lyrical style, which manages to sound like a
cross between Robert Smith on speed and early Elvis Costello.
The stand-out track is, of course, Bandages, with its
Inspiral Carpets-sounding organs, but there is plenty more to
admire, including the fiery This Town, or the moody,
In Cairo, which actually brings things to a more pensive
close - hinting, maybe, that there could be more to the band,
in the future, than the quick fix delivered here.
Make Up The Breakdown is, after all, a collection of
10 very short songs, crammed into a 31-minute CD, which is all
about having fun. It is sure to be spoken of as one of the highlights
of the year, so why not own it now and be trendy?
