Hot Water Music Team With Turnstile Members, Thrice for New ‘Vows’ Songs
To give a taste of their upcoming album, Vows, Hot Water Music have chosen to highlight two collaborations with other punk bands. On “Remnants,” the band teamed with Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates and drummer Daniel Fang, and the musicians recorded “Fences” with Thrice. The album, which also contains collaborations with members of City and Colour, Alexisonfire, the Interrupters, and Farside, among others, will come out on May 10.
“Remnants” begins with a driving, funky, punky riff that allows Hot Water Music frontman Chuck Ragan to sing about supporting a friend through thick and thin. “We will break, we will shine,” he sings in the bridge, “and the remnants will be left behind.” Yates and Fang — whose band Turnstile took their name from a Hot Water Music song — double up the sentiments, with Yates singing backup vocals and Fang providing additional percussion. A music video directed by Jesse Korman shows the band performing the song at a house party, showing the community aspect of the tune.
More from Rolling Stone
Turnstile Receives Hometown Honor of Throwing First Pitch at Baltimore Orioles Game
Riot Fest 2023: How to Find Tickets to See Foo Fighters, The Cure
“‘Remnants’ is a song of friendship and what it means to be a true friend to a person dear to us even through the toughest times of our lives,” Hot Water Music’s members said in a statement. “These values are based on whether or not we choose to be present for one another when all seems to fall apart.”
The second Vows track, “Fences,” features a slower, moodier tempo, and Ragan sings pensive lyrics about snapping out malaise. “Wake up, rise up/Use or lose the senses,” he sings. “Step up, own up to why we build our fences.” Thrice’s Teppei Teranishi plays keys on the song, and all four of Thrice’s members sing “whoooaa” backup vocals, giving the song an emotional depth. “One of the toughest things in life is remembering and recognizing the importance of living in the moment,” the group said. “With so many distractions in our day-to-day lives, it becomes easy to get lost in the noise of this society and lose focus of our true and present purpose.”
The band, which will be embarking on a 30th anniversary tour this spring and summer, teamed with producer Brian McTernan to make Vows. McTernan previously produced the band’s albums A Flight and a Crash (2001), Caution (2002), and Feel the Void (2022). “For some reason — and maybe because this is such a huge milestone — subconsciously, I was thinking, ‘Who knows what is after this?’” Ragan said. “I would love to say we’re going to keep making music for as long as we’re all around, but the truth is we never know when that’s the last session we do, and I feel like I thought of that more than I ever had in the past.”
Vows track list:
1. “Menace”
2. “Searching for Light”
3. “Burn Forever”
4. “After the Impossible” (feat. Dallas Green)
5. “Remnants” (feat. Brendan Yates and Daniel Fang)
6. “Chewing on Broken Glass”
7. “Fences” (feat. Thrice)
8. “Side of the Road”
9. “Wildfire” (feat. Popeye Vogelsang)
10. “Bury Us All”
11. “Touch the Sun”
12. “Much Love” (feat. The Interrupters)
Hot Water Music 30th anniversary tour dates:
May 3 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s *
May 4 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall *
May 5 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall *
May 7 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall *
May 8 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
May 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts *
May 10 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
May 11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount **
May 12 – Mechanicsburg, PA @ Lovedraft’s Brewing Co. *
May 13 – Washington, DC @ The Howard *
May 14 – Richmond, VA @ The National *
May 15 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Heaven) *
May 17 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall *
May 18 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger *
May 19 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk *
June 13 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom ***
June 14 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues ***
June 15 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall ***
June 16 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall ***
June 17 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall ***
June 18 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ***
June 20 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater ***
June 21 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues ***
June 22 – Santa Ana, CA @ Observatory ***
June 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Belasco ***
June 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall ***
June 25 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades ***
June 27 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ***
June 28 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox ***
June 29 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom ***
* with Quicksand, Off With Their Heads
** with Quicksand, Modern Life Is War, The Ergs
*** with Quicksand, Tim Barry
Best of Rolling Stone
