Urban Heat – A Conversation with Jonathan, Kevin and Parks
Ralph Beauchamp
urban heat are a trio from Austin, Texas who elevate synthwave and darkwave into a whole new animal. They dropped a new album, towerr, out August 16 via Artoffact Records. The band consists of Jonathan Horstmann (vocals/guitar/synthesizer), Kevin Naquin (vocals/guitar/synthesizer) and Paxel Foley (bass/synthesizer). urban heatThe music is completely unique and unparalleled. They combine synthwave and darkwave textures and combine them with modern nuances. Their sound brings a wealth of edgy soundscapes and rich melodic articulations. urban heat He is good at creating elegant sound layers and injecting greedy emotions into the audience.
Just listen to “You’ve Got That Edge,” their latest single from their upcoming second album. The song radiates wave after wave of synth heaven. The music is vivid and phosphorescent. Jonathan’s vocals soar with cheeky imagery, and the brilliant arrangements are incredibly complex. “You’ve Got That Edge” is a bold statement that solidifies urban heat The fundamental structure of today’s music industry.
urban heat Had this exclusive conversation with AMP.
AMP: Can you give our readers a little background on the band?
Kevin: We all play in different bands around Austin, and even though none of us are from here, we’ve been here long enough to call ourselves Austinites. All of our other projects seem to be on track around 2019. So the three of us decided to try it. Jonathan is working on some demos and sending them to me. I shot him back and said we could definitely do something with these.
We both knew Parks well. The thing is none of us are married to any particular instrument. So, Parks joined in and decided to play bass. We were surprised because we had never seen him play bass in any other band. Parks mainly does vocals and plays synths, but Jonathan is our lead singer and guitarist. Too bassy. Like I said, we put it together around 2019 and played our first few shows later that year. We had a lot of shows lined up for SXSW 2020, and then the pandemic hit and everything shut down. We were all held back during that time because of COVID.
Jonathan was away with his family, but luckily he was able to get into a small studio and start working on new material. He kept forwarding tapes to Parks and me for processing. When things started to open up, we hit it hard. All we know and love to do is perform live. For us, we have to go out and play.
Jonathan: That’s one of the nice things about Austin, there’s a lot of venues to play at. As a musician in Austin, you’re bound to get into the habit of playing gigs. We are not a band that makes a living creating social media content. It’s all about live performance.
AMP: Who was the band’s inspiration?
Kevin: They are everywhere. The most obvious ones are Depeche Mode, Joy Division and The Cure. To say they are solely responsible for our voices is completely inaccurate. Our musical tastes are well-rounded. A lot of our early stuff was dictated by our instrumentation. Jonathan would write his songs on guitar, but when we added synths and Lynne drums, they had a completely different feel. This sounds like an early precursor to the New Wave movement. Additionally, Jonathan’s voice is very reminiscent of Peter Murphy. People get these references from there, but our influence is completely misleading.
For example, we both love Wu-Tang and Run the Jewels. If you knew they influenced our music, you might be okay with that. Also, we love metal, punk, and all different styles of music.
Jonathan: When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to listen to a lot of music. Mainly choral arrangements. A lot of the harmonies you hear urban heat From the Gospel Choir. In terms of attitude, I took a page from My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way. Then I added some Freddie Mercury and David Bowie touches, especially the way their articulation was overdone. All three put their heart and soul into their vocal performances.
When we talk about production, we think of Trent Reznor and NIN. When we create, we like to be alone in the cave. Our work also has a hip-hop flair. We want to make sure our songs create a buzz. I think that makes us stand out in our genre because we want it to sound like it’s from the future, not the past.
Number of people: I’m a lot like Kevin. I grew up listening to a lot of post-punk music. I can go from Talking Heads to Metallica. Also, I listen to hip-hop and R&B. I have a ton of influence and a track record to prove it.
AMP: What is the creative process like for the band?
Jonathan: Song inspiration can come from anywhere. I can turn off the radio while driving and try to imagine what I want to play. Or I can take a walk and listen to the sounds of the city. Then I’ll demonstrate something. On this last album, I fleshed out the tracks in my home studio to the point where they were overproduced. Then I take them to other people and we get the stuff back. It must pass the Kevin and Pax tests. I write basically to impress them. This new album I wrote in a week. I walked into the cave and came out with something.
In the future, we will collectively write more. I just need this artistic expression. This is the first time I’ve written a full record and not just a collection.
AMP: Your new single “You’ve Got That Edge” has just been released. Can you give us some insight into the track?
Jonathan: This is the first song I wrote tower. I played the new demos to my wife and she commented that they were good but all sounded similar. I told her I was looking for a specific vibe and she said she found it, but they lacked a certain edge. So, I got frustrated, went into my studio, and wrote “You’ve Got That Edge” almost out of resentment. When I finished it, I found the song to be cool and go places the band had never gone before. It felt like this song allowed me to go to other unknown spaces along with the rest of the record.
AMP: You’re signed to Artoffact Records. How did this relationship begin?
Kevin: This guy came up to us before the SXSW show and told us he was here to meet us and see if we would be interested in signing with them.
Jonathan: I knew who Artoffact was because I knew their biggest band at the time, Actors. Prior to this, I had identified partners that I thought would be suitable for us, and Artoffact was one of them. Hey Kevin, I think he was wearing a spacesuit when he introduced himself.
Kevin: Interestingly, it was shown at the Spaceflight Records showcase at SXSW. A showcase of our previous brands.
AMP: What is the internal energy of the band like?
Number of people: It depends on the day (everyone laughs). We are no longer twenty year olds just hanging out smoking weed. It takes me a minute to get excited and throw myself into anything, but when we get together the music soars.
Kevin: It’s very much like a family. We have good days and bad days. Like love, everything is fine at one moment and then not.
Jonathan: Most of our problems stem from hunger, especially on the road. If we need food but don’t have time due to circumstances, things won’t go well. Parks and Kevin are much more mature than me. I’m very energetic. I try to keep this in mind when I interact. I used to be talkative in the morning because I usually worked out and had some caffeine, but that could be a problem late at night with someone in the car. Everyone has to have time to adapt. So, I changed all that. This is a learning process.
We are coming to realize what each other needs to stay on an even keel. It’s all about finding common ground. All in all, we had a great time. When we’re on the road, we listen to great music and always pass the time with clowns. We really enjoyed each other’s company and I hope I’m right because soon we will be spending a lot of time in small spaces again.
AMP: You’ve toured quite extensively. Are there any particular shows or tours that stand out?
Kevin: In fact, on one trip we were involved in a serious van wreck in Cleveland when this vehicle ran a red light. When we got the van back two weeks later, they wanted to clear it all out because the door panels were knocked out. So we foamed the inside of the van and put everything back together as best we could. Then we chained the door shut.
The only way in and out is through the driver’s side door. Every time we stopped at a gas station we looked like we were stepping out of a clown car. I don’t know how we made it back across the Canadian border to the United States, but we did.
Jonathan: We were in that van for two weeks. We use a ratchet tie on the inside of the door to keep the door closed. There always seems to be record breaking snowstorms when we get to Montreal. This time is no exception. Luckily we had a pretty good lather on that van.
AMP: Do you think the Austin music scene is developing new artists?
Kevin: This is an incubator. Always. It’s tough because of the competition. It’s best to get out of Austin or you can easily get stuck in a viscous cycle.
Jonathan: In Austin you have to be really good because the orchestra is so saturated. There are a lot of really good bands here but they’re not doing anything. It’s heartbreaking how many incredible artists there are who don’t make it. If you want to break through, your game plan has to be very smart. Of course, the music has to be there, but you have to make smart decisions about where you spend your time. From the beginning, we knew we needed to do a regional tour. It’s not that we don’t like Austin, it’s that we need wider exposure.
AMP: Where do you see the band in five years?
Number of people: I’m more of a pragmatist. I really do not know. I just don’t think so. For me, it’s more like day by day. What is going to happen will happen.
Kevin: That’s 2029! Do you think we’ll still have a planet?
Jonathan: I hope to release at least 3 more albums. Also, either a solid support tour or a headlining gig at some mid-sized venue. Also, for our genre, I would like to see some younger bands emerge. By then, hopefully we’ll have fostered a strong synthwave/darkwave music scene and headlined some big tours and festivals.
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