Back in December, Canadian indie sleaze revivalists were vindicated with the announcement that Hot Hot Heat had reunited once again. While much shinier and cleaner than their previous material, comeback single "Shock Me" was still a nostalgic return to their dance-punk prime and I, for one, was looking forward to more.
But nearly as quickly as the reunion news was upon us, the band's return has burned out. They took to Instagram today to explain that, despite their plans to release more music and do a little touring, frontman Steve Bays "came to feel that he could not participate." However, Dante DeCaro and Paul Hawley might continue forward with what they were working on in a new context? Here's what they wrote:
For everyone who has been following recently: I report with apology, sadness, and some embarrassment, that the Hot Hot Heat reunion came to an end shortly before the new year. We had made plans to release much more music and do some shows and short tours but Steve came to feel he could not participate so those plans have been cancelled.
However, the brief comeback was an energizing and inspiring thing. We are proud of the one new song we did release, and the volume and quality of unfinished and unreleased material has left Paul and I, at least, with the feeling that we may continue to produce new music in some capacity in the future. What this will be exactly, we don’t know. But stay tuned.
Thank you for your love and support. I was so grateful to be back playing with these guys and was also reminded of all the great tunes and experiences we shared over the years that I was in the band, and since. It was a fun, if brief ride that has left a spark still burning.
This is just kind of a lot when the week has also included Tokyo Police Club breaking up, okay? See the full post from the band below.