Austin post-punk trio Urban Heat has unveiled a brilliant new track that sounds like The English Beat performed a long-lost collaboration with ska era No Doubt, blending new wave sounds with catchy dark pop hooks. “Have You Ever?” features a duet with Los Angeles-based synth/alt-pop producer/songwriter Party Nails.
The song questions everything you’ve been taught,” proclaims vocalist Jonathan Horstmann, “…Those times that truth seems more like a thick fog than a stone tablet.”
Have You Ever? lives in the questions, bringing listeners a relatable anthem. Featuring penetrating basslines, striking synths and attention grabbing melodies, it is a relatable anthem about living in the questions of life. Hortsmann’s throaty baritone provides hints of melancholy in his signature spellbinding journey. Their lyrics delve into timely, socially conscious messages, resulting in a cathartic and nostalgic listening experience as Horstmann muses upon existence and romanticism against a penetrating industrial gothic pulse.
“The track is about finding inspiration in processing life-changing current events, navigating mental health crises as well as exploring the different ways our minds cope with a slow-moving apocalypse,” he says.
Watch the video below:
Urban Heat formed in 2019 when multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jonathan Horstmann enlisted Kevin Naquin and Paxel Foley to form a live show based on his analogue sound design. The three Austin music scene vets decided to form a supergroup of diverse rock artists.
“There’s not a ton of other Black musicians in Austin who play rock, and having that representation was important to me. I didn’t wanna be the only Black artist in an otherwise all-white band,” confides Horstmann.
Urban Heat have received acclaim from the likes of KUTX of NPR and are set to perform at Austin City Limits.
The band’s 2022 six-song EP Wellness is a raw and authentic narrative on coping with mental health issues. From the things that trigger us, to the ways we cope, Wellness explores “disenfranchisement, nostalgia, self-doubt, and depression,” confides Jonathan Horstmann. The collection of introspective songs also provides a level of comfort, reminding listeners that they are not alone and we’re all going to get through this together.
Urban Heat is currently on tour. The dates are listed below.
Tour Dates:
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