New Hot Hot Heat Record Due In April

We were supposed to see a new album from Victoria's Hot Hot Heat in the fall, but that didn't exactly pan out. In the spring, the band did record a new album, but decided to ditch some songs in favour of a fresher batch.

"We recorded it in May and decided to record some new ones," singer Steve Bays says. "At first it was just one song, but then that opened up a can of worms and raised the bar.

"It's so weird, because this is a really experimental album. On some songs, we have like 40 people singing; on others we have a full orchestra. We've worked with probably a dozen different people and co-produced every song except for two."

The disc will be HHH's third full-length record, following 2002's Make Up The Breakdown and 2005's Elevator, which spawned the hits "Goodnight, Goodnight" and "Middle Of Nowhere." Bays admits there's a lot to live up to this time around.

"For some reason, I always thought that pressure didn't affect me, but for this record, I wanted it to be our best record. It's hard because you usually do your best work without realizing it.

"There's always going to be pressure from people, but the main thing is the pressure we put on ourselves. If a song isn't mind-blowing when it's done, we sort of look at each other and go, 'Oh fuck.'"

Fans can expect the as-yet-untitled record to drop in April with 11 or 12 new songs. Song titles for the new disc include "So So Cold," "Harmonicas And Tambourines" and "Money And Reputations," which Bays describes as a "pretty psychedelic song." The band also recorded a new version of "5 Times Out Of 100" from their Knock Knock Knock debut EP . Overall, Bays is excited about the finished product.

"When we started, the goal was just to write songs and let them write themselves, but when the record was done, it didn't feel right. When we went into round two, everything just changed and it blossomed into this beautiful piece of art."

If you happen to be in Calgary on Dec. 31, Hot Hot Heat are playing a special New Year's show with Evans Blue and The Dudes at MacEwan Hall.