An Interview With The SF-Based Band, HOT FLASH HEAT WAVE!

Just ahead of their recent co-headlining tour with No Vacation, San Francisco’s Hot Flash Heat Wave released their track “Glo Ride” –  an ethereal new single that seamlessly borrows from multiple genres to form one cohesive, beautiful track perfect for the onset of Spring. Hazy synths and soothing vocals set the tone on “Glo Ride”, accompanied by perfectly placed guitars and a ride-along bassline set over hypnotic percussion. With each listen you can hear more defined influences ranging from Trip Hop to Alternative Pop and Indie Rock – each bringing something special to “Glo Ride”. You can stream the track now on Soundcloud or Spotify.

Adam Abildgaard (Guitar) about “Glo Ride”:

The unknown is a frightening concept in most people’s lives. Being unsure of your direction or wondering if your passions are valid enough to pursue can stop you from doing what you love or trying new things. Since childhood we are told to buckle down and find a career that will make money and lead to success, to take the reigns and make a 5 year plan. In ‘Glo Ride’  we assume the passenger’s point of view, it’s about embracing the unknown and letting it take us for a ride. Though setting goals and having purpose in one’s life is important, it is equally necessary to know when to sit back and indulge in the moment. I tend to find when I relinquish control and let my expectations melt away I can truly experience the beauty of life and enjoy the journey it has in store for me through the fog and darkness.

Connect With Hot Flash Heat Wave Here:

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify

Learn more about Hot Flash Heat Wave in the following All Access interview here:

Thanks for your time! So how has 2018 been treating you all so far? What is one musical goal that you have for this year?

Thanks for the interview! 2018 has been good to us. We dropped our latest single ‘Glo Ride’ before a March tour with our friends No Vacation, and it’s been awesome to see the reception. We just got back a few days ago, and are back at it working on new music. I’d say a musical goal of ours is to get the ball rolling for a Europe tour before the year’s over.

Can you recall the moment when you all thought you could be in this band together? Was it hard to come up with a name that you all thought fit your sound and who you are? What was your runner up band name?

When I joined the band, it was very casual. I really enjoyed the carefree approach, which felt a lot freer and more collaborative than other projects I’ve been a part of. I realized that this was a project that I felt excited about contributing to since it allowed me to let go a bit and create easily. I have a tendency to hold on too tightly to my art and never finish anything.

The name Hot Flash Heat Wave was a creation of Nick Duffy (an original member) and Adam Abildgaard – it was already the name when I joined the group, and I remember thinking it had a nice ring to it. It reminds me of scorching summers in our hometown and feeling totally overwhelmed by a wave of feeling, like a heat stroke.

How do you think being from your hometown in the Bay Area has influenced your sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group?

The roots of my identity as a musician come from going to small shows and playing DIY garage/house gigs in Davis as a teenager. I felt a deep connection to music, going to shows, and playing gigs with my friends, and it became my dream to participate in that magic.

Our sound intrinsically reflects our peers and our surroundings. It has been amazing and humbling to watch this project grow into something larger than us as we’ve worked alongside and collaborated with  other inspirational bay area artists.

How has this band grown since you first formed in 2015 and released your debut album, “Neapolitan”?

A lot has changed since then. We wrote that album in a burst of energy when Nathaniel moved in with us and joined the group. We were playing music all the time, throwing ideas back and forth and writing songs like crazy. We must have written like 40 songs collectively in a few months. Over the years our influences have changed, and our writing process is different too. We work more individually these days and bring something to the table to collaborate later on. I think the dynamic has shifted naturally as we all grow and navigate the experience of being in this project together.

What was it like putting together your sophomore album, “Soaked”? Did anything surprise you about the overall process of making it? Did you make an effort to change the way you made this collection compared to your first one?

Recording Soaked was a great experience. We were able to spend a lot of time in the studio, which allowed us to experiment with a hi-fidelity take on the demos we brought in. It was almost a polar opposite from Neapolitan, which was recorded within the span of a few days. I think the shift in sound was part conscious and part natural – we all have changing influences and inspirations that we bring to the table.

What was the inspiration for your first single on “Soaked,” “Bye Bye Baby”? How did you react when you first heard that it was appearing on Canada’s Viral 50 Spotify playlist?

I wrote that song as a sort of cathartic anthem for self worth in the face of a rough break up. I caught major feels for someone and was floored when she ended things abruptly to date someone else. It felt great to scream out my feelings in a bad-ass song without blaming her or myself for what happened or needing revenge or something. Writing that song helped me get closure, and I hope it helps other people too.

I was honestly surprised when it hit the charts, especially since I didn’t know we had a following up there. The way these songs travel through the internet is a mystery to me. Thanks Canada!

How was your first nationwide tour last year? What were some of your favorite venues and crowds? Where can people see you perform live this spring and summer?

Our tour last summer was a blast. It was my first time in New York City, and I immediately fell in love with the beat of life out there. We also did a chunk of the tour with Inner Wave, which was our first time touring with another act, and the whole string with them was great. We had a giant crowd-surfing rasta banana that was super fun at the bigger shows. Unfortunately he was tragically murdered at our last show in Austin (RIP). Catch us this summer on a full US tour (TBA), at Outside Lands, or at Tropicalia festival.

What do you think makes for an ideal show for Hot Flash Heat Wave?

The crowd. When the crowd shows up excited and brings turnt energy, that’s what makes our shows go off. The most memorable nights for me are always because of people showing up and dancing, getting down and having fun with us.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

I feel happiest in random fleeting moments of my life when I feel like I’m at the heart of life, hanging with my friends on nice days in the city, hearing a great song for the first time driving around in a car, getting drunk in the park, falling in love. Those moments when I feel like I’m chasing some deep truth of life are what I try to write music about.

How do you think being a musician and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

I try to practice gratitude for all the support that people are showing us and the opportunities presented to us. I can only speak for myself, but it brings me joy to know that I’m helping perpetuate the culture that I fell in love with as a kid, and I can only hope that our performances give people some of that same feeling that drew me to music.

With everything going on in the world today, how do you think your music is a reflection of it all? And if you don’t think it is at all, why is that? Do you find that the music being made today in general is reflecting these politically and culturally charged times?

Music can help us process and get in touch with who we are, so I believe it is incredibly important as an art form in times like these, whether it is directly politically charged in a classic sense or not. The political climate today has made me reconsider my role as an artist in society, and I hope that I can make art that inspires introspection and growth in people, that brings people together and spreads love in the face of divisiveness and hatred. I think the tumultuous times have a huge effect on the music that cuts through and is relevant. It’s also important to us as artists to use our following to elevate marginalized voices and support just causes.

How important do you think social media has been to this band? Do all you help to maintain all your sites or is one of you more into it all? Or do you rely on your PR/management team to handle it all?

We’ve always looked at social media as an important representation of our artwork and a medium to connect with our fans. I do a lot of the visual artwork for the band, and collectively we all run our accounts directly, with Nathan spearheading instagram and twitter. It’s part of our approach in general to try to do everything ourselves and put love and care into it. We want to connect with our audience and make them feel like they are a part of what we do.

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

The last couple days, I can’t stop listening to Steve Lacy. A collaboration with him would be awesome. He has an incredible ear for melody. I’ve also been digging Hoops, Inner Wave, No Vacation, Porches, Her’s, Omni, and King Krule to name a few.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs? What do you hope they take away from one of your shows?

I hope that our music stands as a positive message of love and genuine human experience. I hope our songs give people something to have fun to, and also to hold on to when they need something to pick them up. I hope people walk away from our shows feeling connected to all the people around them, and alive.

Would you like to share anything else about your music or this band with our readers?

Keep an eye out for new music, videos, artwork and merchandise. We’re working on some big and exciting things that will drop over the summer.