Hot Hot Heat - Future Breeds (2010)

After a frustrating major-label stint, Hot Hot Heat reignite some of their spark on Future Breeds, the band’s first album for an indie since their breakthrough Make Up the Breakdown. While the group’s undeniable pop skills made them seem like an ideal choice for the big leagues, there’s always been something too contrary about Hot Hot Heat to churn out radio-friendly unit shifters. In their own studio and on a much smaller imprint, they’re back where they belong, and it’s apparent even on Future Breeds’ least successful moments. Their geeky energy comes back with a vengeance on the album opener “YVR,” which channels Devo with its abrasive, robotic catchiness, while the noisier “Implosionatic” and “JFK’s LSD” -- which boasts squealing synths that sound like a modem having a nervous breakdown -- feel like throwbacks to the band’s self-titled debut. Hot Hot Heat also sound a lot crankier than they have in some time, and they wear it well, from the sharp-tongued title track to the theatrical, stomping pianos and carnival-like mischief of “Times a Thousand.” They’ve always excelled at dense, nervy songs, but more than ever it feels like the band has something to prove. Paranoia emanates from “Zero Results”' free jazz interludes and “What Is Rational”’s insistent refrain “I’m not dysfunctional,” while “Jedediah”'s acoustic strumming and closing found sound collage hit home that Hot Hot Heat aren’t just dance-punk holdovers. The tension between the band’s hooky ways and their need to break away from them is almost palpable on Future Breeds, but pop wins this tug-of-war on its standout tracks. “21@12"'s bright melody and witty lyrics make it a quintessentially Hot Hot Heat song, while “Goddess on the Prairie” and “Nobody’s Accusing You (Of Having a Good Time)” capture that effortlessly quirky appeal that eluded the band too often on Elevator and Happiness Ltd. Hot Hot Heat are mature enough to know what suits them best, but still bratty enough to throw more than a few curves into their music, and this makes Future Breeds the band’s best album in years.