Hot Hot Heat/ Future Breeds

Hot Hot Heat
Future Breeds
(Universal)

Someone’s finally invented time travel. We’re not sure of the how, who and why, but Hot Hot Heat’s latest LP ‘Future Breeds’ seems to have taken us all the way back to 2003 – about the same time they released their debut, ‘Make Up The Breakdown’.
Half the fun of their debut came from inventing new lyrics for the songs, based solely on their incomprehensible vocals. ‘Bandages’, for example, became ‘Sandwiches’ and we all had a cheap laugh about it (or was it just us?). But despite our best efforts there really is no similar level of fun to be found here.
The most striking thing is how little has changed in the seven years since their debut. Back then there was a quirky charm to Hot Hot Heat – it was this that made them so enjoyable – and some of that same quirkiness is present and just as pleasing here. ‘YVR’ bounces along at a decent canter (save for a few strange and discordant breaks), and the catchy nature of ‘Implosionatic’ means it may as well have the word ‘single’ plastered all over it like a massive musical billboard.
But it’s when you step away from these tracks that the album begins to feel a little lacking in ideas. Maybe it’s simply the case that a creative plateau has been hit, but the songs become overly similar – both in terms of this album and those released before it – and leave this LP struggling to make an impression.