Post-punk Austin locals, Urban Heat, gave fans everything they could have asked for with their amazing performance, celebrating the release of their second LP The Tower.
Urban Heat has all the elements of a perfect dark wave band, catchy lyrics, rhythmic basslines, erie, heavy vocals that compliment it all and of course synthesizers. The new wave Austin locals showcased their sound as they celebrated the release of their latest LP, The Tower, on their hometown stop of their tour at ACL Live. The band’s sound is reminiscent of the 80’s goth/new wave scene with a fresh, modern take, bringing together classic post-punk music supporters and new fans of the genre alike. Dark wave has had somewhat of a renaissance over the past five years or so. With the decline of emo Soundcloud rappers taking a large majority of the mainstream playlist, devoted fans of more traditional emo/goth music have been getting an uptick in more artists that cater to what they’ve been yearning for. Metal, dark wave, post-punk and industrial have all been getting a rise in both artists and fans thanks in part to bands like Urban Heat, as well as their supporting acts Gvllow and Delores Galore. Urban Heat draws influences from other big names in the genre such as The Cure, Tears For Fears, Depeche Mode and Molchat Doma, the latter of which they will be supporting on an European tour this fall. Their music is dancey and dark simultaneously, while they’ve definitely created a signature sound that is versatile in nature and showcased perfectly in their latest LP.
The Tower shows the band moving in different directions both in the musical sense as well as the feeling emulated in each song, while still maintaining a uniquely classic sound throughout the project. The album begins with a faster, energetic, upbeat track “Take It to Your Grave,” with lyrics that inspire hopefulness and triumph, which is then immediately followed by an even harder and fast paced track, “Sanitizer,” which gives off more of a club friendly feel, and has definitely become a stand out track since the release of the album. The song “Too Much Too Soon,” then takes more of a somber ballad approach, with lyrics speaking about the regret of failed relationships and heart ache as the album ebbs and flows in a rhythm of ups and downs, that maintain its cohesiveness throughout, taking listeners on a trip throughout the course of the ten song LP. Songs such as “Blindfolds and Magic Bullets” and “Say the Words,” lead in the same vein as “Too Much Too Soon” with the softer, somber, synth focused direction, where as tracks like “Savor Not the Trill,” “Right Time of Night” and “Addicted to the Sounds,” feel more like the fast-paced club banger type of sound shown in “Sanitizer,” which showcases more of the percussion and thumbing bass lines, demonstrating the versatility of the band as well as solidifying the notable sound that makes this group stand out. Although the album had a steady and cohesive feel from beginning to end, you could still play the whole album in any order and have the same enjoyable listening experience as playing it in order. The Tower showcases a range from the artists that wasn’t shown as much on their first LP, which proves that Urban Heat is only getting better from here and made for a fantastic live concert experience.
The night began with New Orleans based Delores Galore opening up the show. Delores and her band brought a funky upbeat energy with their electro dance-heavy backing tracks. While Delores’s soulful melodies were the highlight of the show, her touring band was nothing to write off either. The keyboard player laid down some incredible, funky harmonies which complemented Delores’s voice perfectly while the percussion and bass player kept everyone in rhythm while having a few stand out moments of their own, creating the perfect blend of dark wave and electro pop. Especially with tracks like “Not The One” and “One Touch,” Delores brought back sounds influenced by artists such as the Pet Shop Boys and Bananarama, which made for a fantastic kick off for die hard synth pop fans.
Gvllow was the next artist to hit the stage and was honestly one of the most versatile groups of the night. The Southern California based artist, Gvllow, has had an interesting journey in his musical career, ranging from classic punk, to hip hop, to post punk, and everything in between, he has definitely carved out his own lane in the music landscape which you could hear throughout his set. While this particular performance was mostly dark wave influenced in respect to the other artist, he still managed to bring his own style to the show, drawing more traditional heavy hitting classic punk to his performance with his live band and showcasing excellent stage presence to the show, which ended with an incredible rendition of “Just Like Heaven” from The Cure.
Lastly, the headliners, Urban Heat came out to a warmed up and adoring crowd at their hometown tour stop. With much anticipation and hype created by the supporting acts, Urban Heat had heavy expectations to follow up on, and they absolutely delivered. Starting the show off on a high note with one of their latest tracks “Seven Safe Places,” an upbeat song of resilience and hope, the tone was set and the audience got a taste of the new tracks live and in person. Sprinkled in the new album, which had dropped earlier that day, were some fan favorites such as “Have You Ever?” and “Running Out of Time” which, much like their latest album, took fans on a musical voyage between upbeat and somber, new and old, dance heavy goth anthems and soothing ballads, all complimented by frontman Jonathan Hortsman’s remarkable baritone voice. Not only did Hortsman’s voice stand out among the music, but his stage presence did as well, moving non stop throughout the set, exhibiting incredible dance moves and theatrical energy throughout the show. The show had everything you could ask for out of a live performance, fantastic energy from the crowd, remarkable musicianship, outstanding leadership from the frontman, and poetic lyrics to tie everything together. Urban Heat showed why they’re making their mark in the new wave scene, and proved that why they’re a force to reckoned with.
I’m a photographer currently based in Austin after recently relocating from Denver, CO. I graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. I love music of all genres and have been going to live shows since I was 5 years old. Some of my favorite artist currently include Freddie Gibbs, Lola Young, Ivy Lab and Knocked Loose, but that is always subject to change.
