"For us, calling the album 'EXISTER',
I think it's a bit of a 'we're still here, and we're not going away anytime
soon' type of statement," says HOT WATER MUSIC bassist Jason
Black, about the name of their forthcoming album due out on Rise
Records on May 15, 2012. From the sound of the new music,
they're not just 'here'... they've arrived. Recorded this past January at the Blasting
Room in Fort Collins, CO with The Decendents' Bill Stevenson (Bouncing
Souls, Rise Against, NOFX) in the producer's chair, Exister isn't
the sound of a band greasing their wheels but a band revved up and raring to
go."Recording the album was amazing... better than any of us expected, for
sure," Jason continues. "It seems like the time off, coupled with
everything we've all learned doing other projects and honing our respective
crafts during that time, really worked in our favor and enabled to have a
basically unending flow of ideas and creative sparks."
Their first album since The New What Next in
2004, Exister finds the band perhaps a wee bit worldlier but
no less fiery. Launching with Chris Wollard's guitar attack and Chuck
Ragan's trademark gravelly vocals, opening track "Mainline" proves
that they haven't lost their bite. With Chris taking over vocal duties in
"Boy, You're Gonna Hurt Someone", the propulsive rhythm
section of Jason on bass and George Rebelo on drums takes
their signature post-punk soar and punctuates it with intricate fretwork far
more dexterous than bands ten years their junior. From the soaring "Drag
My Body" to the garage-y "Wrong Way" to
the anthemic "The Traps", Exister is the
sound of a band whose chemistry is undeniable and in perfect sync with each
other. While some bands may be urged to always reply that their current album
is their favorite, with Hot Water Music, it seems this is actually the case.
When asked which of the tracks are the most special to him, Jason replied,
"All of them. Literally. We recorded 13 and all 13 made the record, which
is the first time that's ever happened."
Hot Water Music first formed in 1993 in Gainesville, FL and
quickly rose to the top of the post-hardcore punk scene. After releasing seven
studio albums, two compilations, one live album and countless numbers of
7"s, EPs and splits, the band took an indefinite hiatus in 2005 but
reunited in 2008 and have been playing numerous festivals, quick tour runs, and
one-off shows ever since.
"I feel like we accomplished more than we'd ever
dreamed years ago. So from those points on, it all feels like a blessing,"
adds Chuck. "Granted, it is hard work and we do make sacrifices to do what
we love, but at the end of the day, if we can hang onto the bond and the
reasons that HWM began in the first place and what drove us all those years,
then we've done our job. If we can continue playing our hearts out, smiling
while doing it and continue to grow as friends and as musicians close to 20
years later, then we've succeeded beyond all of my hopes and
expectations."
Celebrating the release of the record this May, the band is
planning a full-scale US tour with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
With announced performances planned for The Bamboozle on
May 19th and 20th in Asbury Park, NJ and a headlining record release show at
NYC's Gramercy Theater on May 21st that sold out in one day,
Hot Water Music not only live up to the Exister album
namesake, but they're here to stay.
Hot Water Music is Chuck Ragan (vocals,
guitar), Chris Wollard (vocals, guitar), Jason
Black (bass), and George Rebelo(drums). Exister was
produced by Bill Stevenson and will be released on May
15, 2012 on Rise Records.
- Mainline
- Boy,
You're Gonna Hurt Someone
- State
of Grace
- Drown
In It
- Drag
My Body
- Safety
- Exister
- Wrong
Way
- Take
No Prisoners
- Pledge
Wore Thin
- No
End Left In Sight
- The
Traps
- Paid In Full
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