Hot Flash Heat Wave Mood Ring

Hot Flash Heat Wave is here to take you away--to put your head in the clouds for a few minutes, if only to enjoy the view. The San Francisco trio of Adam Abildgaard, Nick Duffy, and Ted Davis have built a loyal following and constant buzz over the last several years, with the 2019 EP Mood Ring standing as their most kaleidoscopic work to date. Merging the quintessential melodies of pop's past with contemporary touches to forge something truly unique, Hot Flash Heat Wave is just starting to create their own sonic world. All three members of Hot Flash Heat Wave have known each other since high school, playing together in various incarnations even while temporarily spreading themselves out across the California landscape after graduating. After a few years in the scene, Abildgaard and Duffy eventually formed the band in 2010: It was really just for fun, Abildgaard explains. We were doing it because it felt good. Davis joined the duo shortly thereafter. Last year's Mood Ring EP launched the group into another realm entirely--their truest-to-heart release yet, synthesizing a wide range of influences encompassing My Bloody Valentine, Frank Ocean, New Order, and Toro y Moi into something that sounded truly their own. Lead single Glo Ride bounces with a slight R&B tilt against a dark, trippy atmosphere, while Sky So Blue finds the band spiralling into full-on psychedelia, complete with layers of spell-casting keyboards and a wonderfully zonked-out breakdown. It's the first record where we felt fully in charge of our sound and direction, Davis comments on the creative strides made on Mood Ring. We were writing more personal music, letting go of ideas about what we should sound like and exploring vulnerable, exciting places.