An all-female British four-piece bringing pop-punk back to the mainstream, The Hot Damn! have been hailed as the ‘colourful chaos’ of rock. A band who pull no punches and ensure that every track is as vibrant, destructive, and enjoyable as possible, they've become one of our favourite new acts, and we couldn't wait to speak with them.
Hot on the tail of their brand new single ‘Live Laugh Love’, which is out everywhere now, they were kind enough to answer our questions about where it all began, what inspired the single, and what's now on their horizon.
Fantastic to meet you all. Let's dive right into the new single, can you tell us a bit more about it?
"LLL is a blindingly optimistic cheesy pop rock anthem. It's a cheeky parody of those kitsch motivational signs you see in peoples kitchens and came to us in a flash of inspiration one night in rehearsals. It was a recycled song that we decided to push the boundaries of scepticism… after the crappy time we’ve all had. We wanted LLL to be taken into peoples bosom and embraced rather than despised, in a very tongue in cheek fashion of course."
For those who haven't yet checked out the track, how would you describe its sound?
"Fun cheesy pop rock with sparkly riffs and bucket loads of ‘tude - like a slap of stilton to the face."
How did it all come together? What's your process for a track like that?
"It involves a lot of post-its, a lot of voice memos and notebooks. I usually do a (very crap) demo of a song which i’ve been humming into my phone and then put it into a dropbox folder called “wet pancakes” which the girls listen to and give me feedback on we usually take the best of the bunch and try and flesh them out together in the studio. The lyrics usually come last and are a joint effort as I’m rubbish at lyrics. Our guitarist Laurie will then do an overall (audible) demo which we can take into the studio."
What’s the most important thing for you when you’re writing a song?
"A hook. Otherwise you're doomed from the get go. Something for people to sing back to you at gigs. Something that will crawl into people's brains and make a cosy nest for a while. I take pride in my earworms."
Let's take it back a bit, where did The Hot Damn! begin?
"When I left school, all my friends went off to Uni but I got a job as an assistant manager in a video rental store and started saving for a real guitar. My best friend was the manager and we used to write songs in his attic on a tape recorder. We started a band called the Bastards and the first song I wrote was called Pachyderm Magic."
What influences most define your music at the moment, and are there any dream collaborations you'd just love to do?
"It's hard to describe but musically I'd say if Blondie had a baby with Blink 182 we would be the earworm friendly offspring. We love everything from RATM to the Venga boys so its a bit of a mixture of everything in between."
"I honestly think it would be Blondie, she is just the epitome of coolness and wildness, and I'm sure all the girls would agree she’d be the perfect fit. But I'd love to work with other wild women such as Nina Hagen or Toya Wilcox I bet the record would be an absolute hoot."
The big question now that the new single is out, what's next?
"We are currently writing demos for our debut album, which we will be recording in early 2023, with the album being released in the spring/ early summer. We will be touring all over the UK then too and hope to widen our fanbase into Europe."
Thanks so much for your time, any last minute advice for new bands?
"Don't stop. Be relentless, if something isn't working, change it. And only take advice from people that you trust."
'Live Laugh Love' is described by the band as "a giant dose of good time, cheesy rock". A sugar-infused power pop anthem GUARANTEED to make you smile - it was recorded in Doncaster and mixed in Australia - and is accompanied by a sickly sweet video shot at a caravan park on the Costa del Morecambe (Lancashire).
Debut single 'Dance Around' achieved A-list Planet Rock radio play, as well as being shortlisted for Classic Rock 'Tracks of The Week'. Follow up single 'I Didn't Like You Anyway' became a firm favourite on the airwaves thanks to Planet Rock and Kerrang! radio A-list airplay as well as support from BBC Introducing and Primordial radio.
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