Punk Powerhouse HotWax Captures Freedom and Acceptance in ‘Invite Me, Kindly’
Rising punk powerhouse HotWax have released their sophomore EP Invite me, kindly encapsulating the three-piece’s ability to harness the firepower of grunge pioneers, matched with cohesive songwriting and musicianship. Their imaginative brilliance to stake out a new landscape in guitar music can be heard in the track “Phone Machine.”
Comprised of Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals and guitar), Lola Sam (bass), and Alfie Sayers (drums), with their debut EP, A Thousand Times, creating a cult-like fan base in the UK, the group are ready to play their first shows across the pond. In addition to joining Royal Blood on the west coast leg of their North American tour, the band has announced headlining dates at Los Angeles’ Zebulon Nov. 28 and New York’s iconic Mercury Lounge on Nov. 30.
“Writing this EP felt really good, it all came together really quickly and the majority of the songs just fell into place,” says singer Tallulah. “I felt I had lots of phrases saved up in my head that I couldn’t wait to put into my lyrics. The EP looks at themes of acceptance to people who have hurt you before, letting your doubts leave you, and feeling free. Playing these songs live this summer has been so refreshing, I still feel so passionately about a lot of the lyrics, which makes it feel very therapeutic to perform. Working with Alan Moulder on the EP was amazing, he was so open to our ideas and really helped our vision come to life.”
HotWax have been building their stagecraft since their early teens, delivering high-energy and dynamic live performances with a powerhouse of a rhythm section, bass lines that twist and turn and superfuzz guitar. Forging post-punk, grunge and alternative rock, HotWax have created a sound that is both unique and familiar, from the expressive, explosive snarl of vocalists like Karen O and Courtney Love, with youthful, irreverent zest, and the unruly, down-low guitar sound peddled by grunge greats Nirvana and Mudhoney.
HotWax are a fully formed trio with huge riffs and dynamite lyrics that pull from Tallulah and Lola’s relationship and their own experiences and thoughts about guilt, love, contraception, global warming, teenage years, and womanhood. Tallulah and Lola hope to be known first and foremost as musicians who “love playing live.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: Thank you for talking to Unpublished Magazine. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t yet familiar with you, can you tell us what inspires your creative persona and artistic style?
[HOTWAX]: We’re very inspired by Karen from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and she has been a big inspiration to me being a frontwoman and her stage persona is really exciting and interesting. I feel like our sound and style, but especially what we wear on stage and how our music comes across is similar to late 90s grunge stylings of Nirvana and the indie influences of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It’s important for us to get dressed up and make an effort on shows and for it to enhance our visuals and sound.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Say if someone hasn't heard of your music yet, which song would you introduce them to that best encapsulates your artistic growth and maturity?
[HOTWAX]: “High Tea” is a good indication of where we are artistically at the moment.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You released your latest single “Phone Machine” that is a sneak peek off your upcoming sophomore EP Invite me, kindly. What is the inspiration behind the track and what did the creative process look like?
[HOTWAX]: We wrote the guitar intro at a rehearsal and I recorded it on my phone and we wrote the lyrics to it at home and it all came together really quickly. The riff we came up on GarageBand and it was kind of robotic and inspired the whole to be called “Phone Machine.” It’s rigid and has robotic soundscaping. We never really tried to write songs on a laptop before and it was our first time properly doing that.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Does “Phone Machine” set the tone for the rest of Invite me, kindly, and if so, what can listeners expect from this new era of music?
[HOTWAX]: I feel like it does because it has more lead guitar parts with more rhythm bass and drums. With the lyrics, you’re seeing into a world where people around you are changing. As for the music video, we always like to have one video that we do all ourselves, so I wanted to keep that ethos going with the EP cover and it speaks to the DIY vibes and influences.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is the inspiration behind Invite me, kindly?
[HOTWAX]: We’re really lucky to have Alan Moulder mix it. We’ve been listening to a lot of the Queens of the Stone Age and heavy influences with fuzzy guitar, so it inspired us to make this EP.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song off the EP and why do you love this song? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
[HOTWAX]: My favorite song on the EP is probably “High Tea” and performing it live. I really love it because the lyrics I feel strongly about and it's always about situations in my life that I feel very passionate about. The lyric of the chorus, “I’m spitting out all of my doubt” is a really therapeutic line to sing, and therapeutic to listen to as the songs are quite freeing and heavy. It’s fun and I think people will enjoy that lyric. We always play it near the end of the set as well, so it's always pretty energetic.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Did you take any creative risks or experiment more either lyrically or sonically with Invite me, kindly since your debut EP release A Thousand Times?
[HOTWAX]: Definitely. We took a risk with “She Don’t Like It” by putting it at the end of the EP since the project starts out heavy with guitar intros. With the first EP, the bass was more of the lead instrument and we added more lead guitar parts which is different from A Thousand Times. We wanted to make sure the guitar was impactful and really heard.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What was the recording process like for Invite me, kindly? Any fun memories you’d like to share?
[HOTWAX]: It was fast like we did it really super quick. There was an ice cream van that would come around every day and we would get ice cream which was really fun. I got a fish pie that exploded in the microwave. It was pretty good.
[UNPUBLISHED]: On top of the EP release, you guys are also supporting Royal Blood on tour this fall which is so exciting! What is your favorite aspect about touring?
[HOTWAX]: Seeing new places and playing all these legendary venues. We've never ever been to America, let alone played in America. It's also our first proper tour, so I think to really get into the swing of it and be comfortable with our routine every day is going to be exciting. If you told us five years ago that we would play alongside a band that we grew up listening to, we would’ve said you’re lying.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song to perform live and why?
[HOTWAX]: We can all agree that “Rip It Out” is our favorite because it’s the last song on the set and people always know the lyrics to that one and everyone has so much fun dancing.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are you most excited for fans to take away from this new era of music?
[HOTWAX]: I think just for them to listen to it and be excited for what we have to come next and hope they can see how it's like a development from the first EP. We also have vinyl and we put in a lot of effort into creating our vinyl with the artwork, so just want people to be excited about that.
