Since starting college, I have been introduced to a plethora of bands, far more than I ever found while in high school, thanks to my regular trips to Goodwill and local record stores. However, in my travels, few bands I have come across stand out as much as a group called Hot Water Music.
I had heard the name on occasion in the past because I remember they did a split EP with Alkaline Trio. I had heard songs like "Freightliner" and "Remedy" in a couple Tony Hawk games, but they didn't really stand out to me at the time. The only other thing I really knew about them was that they all had strange album artwork done by the same artist, which gave their albums an almost eerie consistency.
I first really became interested in them when I noticed copies of Fuel For The Hate Game and Finding the Rhythms at the local record store I go to in January 2015. At the time, I was just about to go on a trip to Disney World, and I like to have new music to listen to for the trip. At the same time, I was a compulsive buyer and I treated going to the record like playing a game. If I left the store without some sort of good deal or CD it felt like I had lost.
After briefly looking online at what others thought were their best album, I pulled out Fuel For The Hate Game and bought it. When I got into the car and put the CD in, I wasn't sure what I was going to hear. In the past I had done the same thing with the group, Jawbox and was blown away when I heard the first song. This wasn't necessarily the case with Hot Water Music. Ultimately, the CD loaded up and the album kicks off with "220 Years", it's a little slow, kind of heavy, and so far I like it. There, I heard Chuck Ragan's raspy, half-singing half-shouting vocal style, for the first time. Further into the song, Chris Wollard comes in and the two begin singing and screaming over top of each other, which was characteristic of their earlier albums. Needless to say, it was not what I expected. After listening to several other tracks, I wasn't blown away the way I was with Jawbox. However, I didn't dislike it and wanted to listen to it more and more. The music was challenging, but it had a strange accessibility to it. This can be heard in songs like "Freightliner", "Turnstile" and in particular, my favorite track"Trademark", which opens up with a catchy bassline that, to this day, I cannot replicate at the original tempo. Once I got into that song, I started to catch on and really enjoy the other songs on the album, which I listened to a good deal on my trip to Disney World. Now, when I hear "Trademark" or "Rock Singer", I think back to riding the bus between our hotel and the Magic Kingdom.
After coming home, I quickly went back to the record store and picked up Finding the Rhythms and from there, quickly accumulated the rest of their discography over the course of 2015, minus live their live albums. Their sound is unique. Their style is based in punk rock, yet it defies some common characteristics of punk. Most of their music is mid-tempo, rather than played at breakneck speed, and the music can be technical especially in the rhythm section. The group's bassist, Jason Black, has constructed what I think may be some my favorite basslines in punk, which can be heard in songs like the aforementioned "Trademark", but also "Blackjaw", "Man the Change", and "Swinger".
The band has two major periods. During the first period, the band put out their first three albums, Fuel For The Hate Game, Forever and Counting, and No Division, as well as the compilation, Never Ender. This period was marked by elements such as Ragan and Wollard overlapping each other vocally, more technical instrumentation, rawer production, and overall, less accessible material. The second major period started when the grouped signed to punk powerhouse Epitaph Records. The following albums, A Flight and a Crash, Caution, and The New What Next, featured a sound that featured more polished production, cleaner vocals with Wollard and Ragan either singing alone or more in unison, and more accessible songwriting. This contrast can be heard when comparing a song like Forever and Counting's "Translocation" with The New What Next's "My Little Monkey Wrench". After The New What Next, the band broke up in 2006 with Chuck Ragan beginning a folk rock-based solo career, while the three remaining members carried on under the banner The Draft. However, the band reconvened in the a couple years later and put out their most recent album, Exister is 2012, which took the band more of a straightforward rock approach to the music.
Another thing I wanted to comment on is the album artwork. One thing that has always stuck out to me about Hot Water Music is that all but one of their album covers are done by the same artist and follow a similar style. As a result, it causes them to stand out against other punk albums that came out at the time and gives them a distinct identity, similar to the band's distinct sound.
Many people tend to proclaim Caution or Fuel to be the best, depending on which era of the band they prefer. My personal tastes don't really lie with a particular era for the band, and my favorite album by them has changed. At first, it was No Division, but has since bounced to Exister to Forever and Counting, and as of now, A Flight And A Crash. The neat thing about this band is that, at least to me, even while their albums may vary in tone and sound over the years, all of their albums are enjoyable in their own right.
A Flight And A Crash Green and White Split Vinyl
Forever and Counting Black and Gold Split Vinyl
Fuel For The Hate Game Coffee and Cream Splatter Vinyl
Breakdown of My Collection
1. Finding the Rhythms (1995, CD) - From most accounts I've seen, this is not actually counted as a full album, but instead a collection of early recordings the band did for various compilations. This was one of my first Hot Water Music CDs, yet I very rarely listen to it. Like the name implies, the music on this album was made when the group was still developing their sound. The music is closer to conventional punk rock than the rest of their work. It's a decent record for fans but not necessarily one that first-time listeners should listen to if they want to get an idea of the group's general sound.
Highlights: "Scraping", "Floor", "Counting Numbers", "Liquid America"
2. Fuel For The Hate Game (1997, CD, Vinyl) - My first Hot Water Music, and one that fans of the band's earlier sound tend to point to as the best from that period. This finds the band playing around with interlocking guitar harmonies, tight rhythm parts, and overlapping screamed, yet somehow melodic, vocals. When I first heard it, the music was not outright catchy, but there was something about it that made me keep coming back and listening to it again and again. It's not my favorite of their albums, but I have to say it likely best represents their pre-Epitaph sound.
Highlights: "220 Years", "Trademark", "Freightliner", "Rock Singer" and "Facing and Backing"
3. Forever and Counting (1997, CD, Vinyl) - While the band members themselves apparently see this as their worst album, it's a fan favorite and one of my personal favorites as well. The music is a little less noisy than Fuel For The Hate Game and more in line with mid-late 90s emo. This is definitely my favorite of their pre-Epitaph albums and probably around number 2 or 3 in terms of my top favorite albums by them altogether.
Highlights: "Translocation", "Better Sense", "Rest Assured", "Man the Change", "Three Summers Strong"
4. No Division (1999, CD) - When I first got into Hot Water Music, this was my favorite album by them, all because of "Free Radio Gainesville" and "Rooftops". Produced by and featuring guest vocals from Quicksand and Rival School's Walter Schreifels, this album starts pushing the band in a slightly more melodic direction than the last two albums, but is still overall more in line with their early sound. For a while, I forgot about this album when listening to some of their others, and I have only recently come to listen to and appreciate some of the other tracks on this album.
Highlights: "SouthEast First", "Free Radio Gainesville", "No Division", "Rooftops", "Hit and Miss"
5. Never Ender (2000, CD) - This CD is actually a compilation of singles, outtakes and b-sides recorded over the bands early years as well as their first EP. At first, I didn't pay much attention to this album, but as time went on, I started to listen to it more and really grew to like the songs on it. It flows well and almost feels like a cohesive studio album that fits in with their other albums.
Highlights: "Alachua", "Never Ender", "You Can Take The Boy Out Of Bradenton", "Things On A Dashboard"
6. A Flight and A Crash (2001, CD, Vinyl) - This album was the group's first for Epitaph and with that came a modification of their sound. The production was much more polished, the vocals were somewhat cleaner and the music was more streamlined and accessible. Meanwhile, Ragan and Wollard were no longer screaming over top of each other and instead would harmonize or sing alone. This was another album that I glazed over when I first got into them, but as time has gone on, this has become my overall favorite Hot Water Music album, as I started listening to it regularly when playing video games.
Highlights: "A Flight and A Crash", "Paper Thin", "Instrumental", "Swinger", "Old Rules"
7. Caution (2002, CD) - While Fuel For The Hate Game is seen as the best pre-Epitaph album, many fans point to this album as the best during their Epitaph years, and for good reason. The music carries on with what was started on A Flight and A Crash, making the music sharper and more accessible but still maintaining the aggression characteristic of their sound. I don't listen to this album as much as some of the others, however, there are some very good songs on here and it's probably the best album to start with if someone wants to listen to the group.
Highlights: "Remedy", "Trusty Chords", "It's All Related", "I Was On A Mountain", "One Step to Slip", "Wayfarer"
8. The New What Next (2004, CD) - The last album the group did for Epitaph, and the last before their temporary break up, this album is by far the most polished and accessible album the group did, almost approaching an aggressive form of pop punk. You wouldn't find songs like the ones here on Fuel For The Hate Game. Of all their studio albums, this probably ranks near the bottom, but even then, it's still a pretty enjoyable record.
Highlights: "Poison", "All Heads Down", "My Little Monkey Wrench", "Ink and Lead"
9. Till the Wheels Fall Off (2008, CD) - I view this compilation as the Epitaph equivalent to the pre-Epitaph Never Ender. However, unlike Never Ender, this collection lacks the cohesiveness. It is comprised of a couple b-sides and outtakes, three of the four tracks from the Moonpies For Misfits EP, the tracks from the Alkaline Trio Split EP, compilation tracks, and a number of covers. It is a good compilation for fans, but at the same time not essential for the casual listener.
10. Exister (2012, CD) - The most recent album the band has come out with reflects a newer, more mature style. Gone are the days of them screaming and playing punk music like they did in the 90s. Instead, the band's style has morphed more into a straightforward rock sound. The vocals, while still gruff, are much more melodic; the music doesn't have the same youthful angry energy, and the overall feel is much more mature. I can hear elements of Ragan's folk work in songs like "Drag My Body", and Chris Wollard's vocals are closer to his work in The Draft. This is another album that ranks pretty high in my list of all their albums. It doesn't necessarily represent the majority of their work, but it is a fantastic direction for them to move in. There are few albums where I have a hard time choosing a favorite because there are so many tracks I enjoy off this one.
Highlights: "Mainline", "Boy You're Gonna Hurt Someone", "Drag My Body", "Pledge Wore Thin", "Wrong Way", "Safety", "Exister"
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