The Singles Bar: Hot Flash Heat Wave let uncertainty wash over them in ‘Glo Ride’
The alt-pop group take life (and music) as it comes.
Welcome to The Singles Bar, a review series focused on new single and song releases.
Listen. We get it. You have to have complete control over your life. But that’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works. Hot Flash Heat Wave, rising out of San Francisco, are here to remind us that it is pretty A-OK to be chill, let the things you can’t control wash over you and ride the wave until the next one. “The unknown is a frightening concept in most people’s lives. Being unsure of your direction or wondering if your passions are valid enough to pursue can stop you from doing what you love or trying new things,” guitarist and singer Adam Abildgaard says, sewing his musing to the band’s latest single “Glo Ride,” a super languid, psych-pop hallucination.
As the guitar staggers along, you are transported to another universe, ripped from your own life and catapulted through starry far-away space galaxies. You see your life as it once was. “Take me for a ride / Keep me by your side / We can talk to the moon,” Abildgaard sings, rather wistfully, a mirage of voices from bandmates Ted Davis and Nathaniel Blüm floating into and out of the mix. “Walk into the park / Leave you in the dark / You know I’ll be back soon…”
The drum work bubbles in sharp rhythms and punctures the eardrums. If you never wanted to slow things down before, you’ll definitely want to now. “Since childhood we are told to buckle down and find a career that will make money and lead to success, to take the reigns and make a five-year plan. In ‘Glo Ride,’ we assume the passenger’s point of view; it’s about embracing the unknown and letting it take us for a ride,” Abildgaard further explains. “Though setting goals and having purpose in one’s life is important, it is equally necessary to know when to sit back and indulge in the moment. I tend to find when I relinquish control and let my expectations melt away I can truly experience the beauty of life and enjoy the journey it has in store for me through the fog and darkness.”
“Glo Ride” is thrilling, hypnotic and beautifully addictive.
Grade: 3 out of 5
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