URBAN HEAT – A CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN, KEVIN AND PAX

URBAN HEAT – A CONVERSATION WITH JONATHAN, KEVIN AND PAX

By Ralph Beauchamp

Urban heat is a trio from Austin, Texas that has elevated synthwave and darkwave to a whole new animal. They play their new album, The Tower, on 8/16 via Artoffact Records. The band consists of Jonathan Horstmann (Vocals/Guitar/Synths), Kevin Naquin (Vocals/Guitar/Synths) and Paxel Foley (Bass/Synths). Urban heatHis music is completely unique and unparalleled. They combine synthwave and darkwave textures and combine them with modern nuances. Their sound delivers a deluge of edgy soundscapes combined with rich melodic articulations. Urban heat specializes in creating layers of sonic elegance that imbue the listener with sharp emotions.

Just listen to their newest single, “You've Got That Edge” from their upcoming sophomore album. The track delivers wave after wave of synth heaven. The music is alive and bright. Jonathan's vocals soar with brazen imagery and the stellar arrangement is voraciously intricate. “You've Got That Edge” is a bold statement that takes hold Urban heat in the very fabric of today's music scene.

Urban heat sat down with AMP for this exclusive chat.

AMP: Can you give our readers a little background on the band?

KEVIN: We were all playing in different bands around Austin, even though none of us were from here. We've been here long enough to call ourselves Austinites. Around 2019, all our other projects appeared to be running. So the three of us decided to give it a try. Jonathan had some demos he was working on and sent them to me. I replied that we could certainly do something with them.

We both knew Pax very well. The point was that none of us were married to any particular body. So Pax was in and decided to play bass. We were surprised since we never saw him play bass in any other band. Pax mainly did vocals and played synth, but Jonathan was our lead singer and guitarist. It was so bassy. Like I said, we put it together around 2019 and played our first shows later that year. We have a series of concerts for SXSW in 2020 and then the pandemic hit and canceled them all. During that time we all retreated due to Covid.

Jonathan left with his family, but luckily had access to a small studio and started putting out new material. He kept sending tapes to Pax and me to work on. When things started to open up, we hit it hard. All we know and love to do is play live shows. For us, we have to go out there and play.

JONATHAN: That's one of the good things about Austin, there are lots of places to play. As an Austin musician, you sure get used to playing. We're not a band that lives to create social media content. It's all about the live show.

AMP: Who are some of the band's inspirations?

KEVIN: It's everywhere. The obvious ones are Depeche Mode, Joy Division and The Cure. To say that they are solely responsible for our sound is completely inaccurate. Our music taste is all over the place. Many of the previous things were dictated to us by our organs. Jonathan wrote his songs on guitar, but when we added synths and Linn drums they had a completely different feel. They sounded like the early pioneers of the New Wave movement. Additionally, Jonathan's voice can be reminiscent of Peter Murphy. That's where people get these references from, but our influences are completely misleading.

For example, we all love Wu Tang and Run The Jewels. If you know that they have influenced our music, you might be able to understand. We also love metal, punk and all different styles of music.

JONATHAN: Growing up I wasn't allowed to listen to much music. They were mainly choral arrangements. A lot of the harmonies you hear Urban heat they come from the gospel choir. Attitude-wise, I'm taking a cue from My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way. Then I throw in some Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, especially in the way they're pronounced. All three throw their whole bodies into their vocal performances.

When we talk about production, we think of Trent Reznor and NIN. We like to be alone in a cave when we create. There is also a hip hop quality to our production. We want to make sure that our songs are slapping. I think that sets us apart in our genre because we want it to sound like it's from the future, not the past.

SMALL CROSS: I'm a lot like Kevin. I grew up listening to a lot of post punk stuff. I can go from Talking Heads to Metallica. I also listen to hip hop and R&B. I have a bunch of influences and records to show for it.

AMP: What is the band's creative process like?

JONATHAN: Song inspiration can come from anywhere. I can drive with the radio off and I'll try to imagine what I'd like to play. Or I can take a walk and just listen to the sounds of the city. Then I will present some things. With this last album, I finished the tracks in my home studio to a point where they were overproduced. Then I bring them to the kids and we strip things back. Must pass the Kevin and Pax test. I basically write to impress them. I wrote this new album in a week. I went into the cave and came out with something.

In the future, I was going to write more collectively. I needed just that kind of artistic statement. It's the first time I've written a full record as opposed to a collection of works.

AMP: Your new single, “You've Got That Edge” just came out. Can you give us some information about the track?

JONATHAN: It was the first song I wrote for The tower. I played my wife the new demos and she commented that they were good but they all sounded similar. I told her I was looking for a certain vibe and she said she got it but they were missing a certain edge. So I got upset and went into my studio and wrote “You've Got That Edge” almost out of spite. When I finished, I realized the song was cool and went to a place the band had never been before. I felt like that song gave me permission to go into other unknown places with the rest of the record.

AMP: You're signed to Artoffact Records. How did this relationship start?

KEVIN: This person ran up to us before a gig at SXSW and said they were there to see us and would we be interested in signing with them.

JONATHAN: I knew who Artoffact was because I knew their biggest band at the time, the Actors. Previously, I had found who I thought would be a good partner for us, and Artoffact was one of them. Hi Kevin, I think he was wearing a spacesuit when he was introduced.

Kevin: The funny thing was that it was at the Spaceflight Records show at SXSW. A showcase for our previous label.

AMP: How is the inner energy of the band?

SMALL CROSS: It depends on the day (everyone laughs). We're not in our twenties anymore, we just hang out smoking weed. It takes me a minute to get excited and fully into anything, but when we get together, the music flies.

KEVIN: It's very much like a family. We have our good days and our bad. Just like a love affair, at one moment everything is fine and then it isn't.

JONATHAN: Most of our problems come from hunger, especially on the road. If we need food and due to circumstances we don't have time, things are not going well. Pax and Kevin are much softer than me. I am quite energetic. I try to keep that in mind when I interact. I used to talk in the morning because I usually work out and drink a bunch of caffeine, but having someone in the car like that after a late night can be a problem. There must be time for everyone to acclimatize. Well, I changed everything. It's a learning process.

We are good at recognizing what each other needs to stay on an even keel. It's all about finding that common ground. All in all, we have a lot of fun. We listen to great music when we're on the road and always clown to pass the time. We really enjoy each other's company and I hope I'm right because we'll be in close quarters again for a long time very soon.

AMP: You've toured quite extensively. Does any particular show or tour stand out?

KEVIN: In fact, on one tour, we were in a really bad van wreck in Cleveland when that car ran a red light. By the time we got our truck back two weeks later they wanted to gut it because the door panel fell off. This wasn't going to happen. So we foam boarded the inside of the van and put everything together as best we could. Then we chained the door.

The only way to get in or out was through the driver's door. Every time we stopped at a gas station we looked like we were getting out of a clown car. I don't know how we were able to cross the Canadian border and back into the US, but we did.

JONATHAN: We did two weeks in this van. We used a latch on the inside of the door to keep it closed. It always seems that when we hit Montreal, there is a record snow storm. This time was no exception. Luckily, we foamed this van up pretty good.

AMP: Do you feel like the Austin music scene is nurturing young artists?

KEVIN: It's an incubator. It always was. It is difficult because of the competition. You better get out of Austin or you can easily fall into a viscous cycle.

JONATHAN: You have to be extremely good in Austin just because of the saturation of bands. There are really really good bands that are here that don't do anything. The number of incredible artists who just aren't going to make it is heartbreaking. If you are going to break out, you have to be very smart in your game. 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 had to tour regionally. Not because we don't like Austin, but we needed wider exposure.

AMP: Where do you see the band in five years?

SMALL CROSS: I'm more of a pragmatist. I really do not know. I just don't think like that. It's more one day at a time for me. Whatever happens, happens.

KEVIN: It's 2029! Do you think we will still have a planet?

JONATHAN: I would like to release at least 3 more albums. Also either a solid support tour or headlining some medium sized venues. Also, for our genre, I'd like to see some newer bands as well. Until then, we hope to be able to foster a strong synthwave/darkwave music scene and anchor some major tours and festivals.

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