While Urban Heat might’ve reached an audience on TikTok when their single “Have You Ever” became a microtrend on the app, these punks are more than just a ‘TikTok band.’ The dark wave trio extended their audiences offline into venues around their hometown of Austin and to festivals across the country, even going on tour with goth act Vision Video in early 2023. A post-punk, electronic ambience of musings, Urban Heat are here for the newer generation of goth kids, bringing the dance party to the crypt with a sound that could wake the dead.
Their newest release The Tower is out mid-August with an early single “You’ve Got That Edge,” already available to listen to on Spotify.
The Tower opens with “Take It to Your Grave,” an EDM, dungeon-rave track, setting the ambience for the rest of the album. The baritone vocals break through the keys and bass, and chamber harmonies amplify the pre-chorus. The somber verses tell a story while the chorus gives listeners something to dance to. An electric guitar busts out the synth riff after the bridge, empowering the first song.
“Sanitizer” keeps things simple with short and sharp beats and lyrics expressed through robotic vocals. The techno instrumentation sounds old-school, like it was mixed on a Y2k computer adding to the robotic beat.
The celestial synth of “Too Much Too Soon” throws listeners into a dreamy state. If you could turn any eighties dark fantasy movie into a sound it would be this song. The muted bass drum backing the trancelike verses create a mystical scene which changes when the chorus lashes out in post-punk style. “Too Much Too Soon” transcends from an alternative rock song into something more vivid, something almost cosmic in its delivery.
“You’ve Got that Edge” is the early release single off The Tower. An anthem for the weirdos and misfits to cling to, “You’ve Got That Edge” screams coming-of-age dark-wave bop, fun and mesmerizing and will definitely be stuck in your head long after the first listen. The longing of lines like ‘just don’t lose your edge’ is full of youthful empowerment without succumbing to a mainstream pop message.
“Blindfolds and Magic Bullets” has a magic all its own. Percussion heavy, it doesn’t slack on the industrial beats. A slow narration moves into a riveting melody steering the way beneath the deep vampiric vocals, making this song a dance club hit for the dead.
Songs like “Right Time of Night” thrill us with an eighties synth that echoes danger and suspense, something one might hear in an action-crime noir, while the next track “Say The Words” has an opposing quality, choir-like, ethereal, and haunting. “Say the Words” gives us dark, heavenly tones on velvety vocals, as if its come straight from the afterlife.
The next track is one you’ll want to gatekeep. With indie-punk garage riffs, and shoegaze influences weaving through, “Seven Safe Places’ is cozy, atmospheric, while restless too. A simple chorus repeating the title, but simple works immaculately for this song, showcasing the larger-than-life instrumentals and the emotion in the voice. There’s something very riveting about this one with its east-coast indie vibe..
“Addicted to the Sounds” is ambient synth pop. Big beats, big waves, and a lingering bass. It’s an epic finale to The Tower. Nearing the end of the song, the guitar takes center stage, turning to its rock influences with a driving solo.
All in all, it’s difficult to find words to describe the many sounds incorporated in The Tower, a statement that’s a compliment. The Tower reflects many influences and ideas, creating dark imagery stamped to a dance beat. From vampire pop to retro-wave-future-synth, and a celestial church to a coming-of-age indie soundtrack, Urban Heat are new to the scene but they’re not new to mixing things up with a diverse style.
Album Review by I’m Music Magazine Writer Alice Kearney
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