Hot Hot Heat

Hot Hot Heat were a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. Their first full-length album, Make Up the Breakdown, arrived in 2002 and was critically acclaimed. Signed to Seattle's Sub Pop in 2001, the group later spent most of its career with Warner Records.

The band's music combined electronic and traditional instruments, with its work variously described as dance-punk, post-punk revival and art-punk. Across five full-length albums, Hot Hot Heat released Make Up the Breakdown (2002), Elevator (2005), Happiness Ltd. (2007), Future Breeds (2010) and the self-titled Hot Hot Heat (2016). Steve Bays served as the band's lead vocalist and primary songwriter.

Following the touring cycle for Future Breeds in 2011, the band saw several years of limited activity. In March 2016, Hot Hot Heat announced “Nature of Things,” a limited-edition 7-inch release issued for Record Store Day on April 16. The following month, the group announced its disbandment, alongside news that its fifth and final album would be released through Kaw-Liga Records on June 24, 2016. “Kid Who Stays in the Picture” premiered as the album's lead single.

Hot Hot Heat reunited briefly at the end of 2023, releasing the comeback single “Shock Me” on December 1. On January 26, 2024, the band announced that plans for further new music and live performances had been cancelled. The group cited Bays' inability to commit to those plans.