Freak Heat Waves - Mondo Tempo
Mood Hut Records
Released July 12th, 2023
Freak Heat Waves have been making subversive, genre-affronting music for over a decade, with albums that span post-punk, new wave, indie pop and electronica. Always walking the tightrope between high-concept and enjoyability, the duo’s latest effort, Mondo Tempo, is a perfect storm of ambient electronica, arty avant-garde, and sleazy post-disco. From up-beat first track banger “The Time Has Come” to the spooky philosophizing of “How Do We Come Alive”, all the way through to the ‘verbed out, sax and synth title-track ender, Mondo Tempo is as silky smooth as it is singularly strange.
The album has equal footing in the near past and distant future, immersing classic drum sequences and chunky synth textures within an avant-garde cloud of smoke. The duo take on heavy concepts with a detached coolness, contemplating the impacts of climate change (Freak Heat Waves, indeed), the weight of existence, and the barriers of ordinary consciousness, all implanted into laidback dance grooves.
Feature track and lead single “In a Moment Divine” features longtime friend and collaborator Cindy Lee (aka Pat Flegel, of classic Canadian indie-experimental project Women), whose more delicate and hopeful vocal lines offer a contrasting levity to the usual baritone speak-singing of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Steven Lind. Lind’s seductive vocal-fry is a defining characteristic of Freak Heat Waves’ decade-long output, which makes “In a Moment Divine” that much more unusual and enticing, a welcome addition to the FHW catalog. The track has a decided elegance and innocence, with softer and more resplendent production than might be expected from the oft-eery Freaks. Although difficult to discern, the track seems to be a plea for one’s love to be requited, about throwing caution to the wind and letting one’s true feelings be known. High risk, high reward. “Don’t leave me breathless / in a moment divine…”
For a band that tends to just ooze cool, I was pleasantly surprised to hear some more on-the-nose moments, such as “Music Has An Interesting Power”, which seems to provide a social commentary on the current music industry climate. The track is strategically placed in the middle of the album, a feisty interlude that signals to the listener that despite the ever-steepening uphill battle for underground artists, Freak Heat Waves is resolute in their goal of making music that continues to challenge convention.
Freak Heat Waves is the band I always put on at parties, because from album to album, there remains an effortlessness that drips out of each track. it’s not that they make background music, not at all. Their genius is in the subtlety and ease of delivery that makes their albums feel both timeless and ever new. Whether they’re delivering up-tempo post-punk or druggy synth trances, the vibe never veers off the tracks, never slips into self-importance. The “neon-noir” aesthetic and lush production would make Mondo Tempo an equally perfect soundtrack for a trip to the underworld or to the dance floor.
- Penelope Stevens