Legendary independent rock label Equal Vision Records and Hot Water Music are excited to announce the Friday, May 10 release of Vows, the long-standing, influential punk outfit’s brand new album (pre-save / pre-add / pre-order HERE). Helmed by veteran producer Brian McTernan, Vows features high-profile guest appearances from the likes of Daniel Fang and Brendan Yates of Turnstile, Thrice, Dallas Green of City and Colour and Alexisonfire, The Interrupters, and Popeye Vogelsang of Calling Hours and melodic hardcore greats Farside.
Leading the collection is the album opener “Menace” and blistering “Burn Forever,” two towering tracks that right out of the gate illustrate the power that the members of Hot Water Music — Chuck Ragan (vocals/guitar), Chris Wollard (vocals/guitar), Chris Cresswell (vocals/guitar), Jason Black (bass) and George Rebelo (drums) – put forth across this intense and musically daring 12-song showcase.
“In this day and age, it’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day frustrations,” Ragan says about “Menace.” “What isn’t easy all the time is recognizing our ability to choose our mental state. We own the power to slow down enough to be present in our anger, realizing the paths away from hatred and preparing ourselves for the next time we cross ways with menace.” Wollard adds, “‘Burn Forever’ is about processing grief. Allowing it to happen, and also about the things we learn to help us through it.” Stream “Menace” and “Burn Forever” on all platforms HERE.
Hot Water Music also recently announced its 30th anniversary headline tour of North America that will kick off on Friday, May 3 in Cincinnati, OH and extend across 30 markets, culminating in a performance at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, BC on Saturday, June 29. Support on the tour will be provided by Quicksand, Off With Their Heads, Tim Barry and more on select dates. Information on tickets can be found on the band’s official site HERE, and a full listing of dates can be found below.
Three decades, 10 albums, and continuing to stand firmly as an enduring pillar of American punk, Hot Water Music remains a source of influence and inspiration for bands the world over. On the forthcoming Vows, the band’s purpose remains the same as it always was: continued evolution with a keen eye on the future. “The theme that kept coming up while working on this record was growth — how writing a song, recording an album, or being in a band is like planting a seed and helping it grow,” the band said. “We think a lot of that had to do with looking back and realizing that over 30 years, we’ve managed to make something special that we all really love.”
Additionally, Vows marks yet another brilliant chapter in the continued partnership with acclaimed producer and hardcore legend Brian McTernan, who worked with the band on 2001’s A Flight And A Crash, 2002’s Caution and 2004’s The New What Next, often thought of as Hot Water Music’s classic period. Not knowing what the endgame was, the band entered the process of writing these new songs with the simple intention of releasing music to celebrate this hard-earned milestone, be it a single, EP or full-length. What they were absolutely sure of, though, was that they didn’t want to make a new record just for the sake of it; this record had to be exciting, relentless and, above all else, necessary.
“Everyone spent a lot of time reflecting on the journey that got us here and thinking about what we want the trajectory to be from here on out while making this record,” the band summarizes. “We hope this album feels like a celebration of our history and future to everyone that hears it. That is definitely what it is and how it feels to us.”
Hot Water Music will be making the following appearances on its 30th anniversary North American tour. Dates below.
MAY
03 — Cincinnati, OH — Bogart’s *
04 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall *
05 — Detroit, MI — St. Andrews Hall *
07 — Toronto, ON — Danforth Music Hall *
08 — Buffalo, NY — Town Ballroom *
09 — Philadelphia, PA — Underground Arts *
10 — Boston, MA — Royale *
11 — Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount #
12 — Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedraft’s Brewing Co. *
13 — Washington, DC — The Howard *
14 — Richmond, VA — The National *
15 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade (Heaven) *
17 — Dallas, TX — South Side Music Hall *
18 — San Antonio, TX — Paper Tiger *
19 – Austin, TX – Mohawk *
JUNE
13 — Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom ^
14 — Cleveland, OH — House of Blues ^
15 — Chicago, IL — Concord Music Hall ^
16 — St. Louis, MO — Delmar Hall ^
17 — Lawrence, KS — Liberty Hall ^
18 — Denver, CO — Ogden Theatre ^
20 — Mesa, AZ — Nile Theater ^
21 — San Diego, CA — House of Blues ^
22 — Santa Ana, CA — Observatory ^
23 — Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco ^
24 — San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall ^
25 — Sacramento, CA — Ace of Spades ^
27 — Portland, OR — Revolution Hall ^
28 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox ^
29 — Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom ^
* — with Quicksand, Off With Their Heads
# — with Quicksand, Modern Life Is War, The Ergs
^ — with Quicksand, Tim Barry