Future Breeds

The band are in fact back in top form, showing the pretenders how it's done and throwing their detractors for a loop. There's a legitimate electricity behind Future Breeds that the genre sorely needs.

Even though it's broken up by the occasional plodding piano number, Future Breeds can be a gauntlet of abrasive blasts of energy. Good thing, then, that it's so satisfying to make it out the other side.

Full of complex and diverse arrangements, Hot Hot Heat's riskier approach on Future Breeds seems appropriate for its return to an indie label.

The songs blend together in a rather blatant way, and that really doesn't do the album's coherency any favors; despite their best efforts, Hot Hot Heat still hasn't crafted an "album" yet, only a decent collection of songs. That said, the songs here are built for live-show sing-alongs and are entirely easy to digest.

The songs here aren't as memorable as those early semi-hits ("Bandages," "Talk to Me, Dance With Me"); and some, like the fuzz-funk title track, suggest unfinished sketches. But yelpy frontman Steve Bays keeps the energy high.