The Canadian duo’s Steve Lind on the inspirational merits of an r&b icon
The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!
For more than a decade, Freak Heat Waves have been steadily amassing a cult following and earning acclaim from both critics and underground aficionados alike. Their music is a heady cocktail that defies easy categorization, blending elements of post-punk, psych, dub, ambient, house, and techno. Their eclectic sound has served as the soundtrack to countless DIY punk shows, outsider galleries and sleazy discos, establishing the duo as iconoclasts with a reputation for ignoring expectations and subverting genre conventions.
Their latest album Mondo Tempo exists in a hazy space between all these genres. Lead by Lind’s purringly nonchalant vocals, all the tracks on Mondo Tempo are various shades of “extremely chill”. From the barely-there, Nightmares on Wax-evoking Altered States to the spacious, breezy melodies of Cindy collab In a Moment Divine it’s one to be savoured, preferably while poolside somewhere exotic.
For their One Track Mind selection, Freak Heat Waves Steve Lind has dived back into the movie vaults to the soundtrack of a nearly 80 year old noir classic.
Freak Heat Waves on Janet Jackson – My Need
“The in-the-box production style of Janet Jackson’s 90s output was inspirational for us while writing and recording our new album. We especially loved her smooth and subdued take on r and b and house music that she explores on The Velvet Rope. “My Need” is a particular stand out track on the album and we love the way it mixes midi instruments, samples and drum machines.
“The track is funky, mid-tempo, lush and sprinkled with a lot of ear candy. As a whole the vibe is intimate and surreal, a decidedly mature headspace with loads of cool attitude. You can also dive endlessly into the details and appreciate all kinds of the intricacies. We never get anywhere close to making a soulful pop song like this but we both definitely obsessed over the production sound of this track and delved into some similar elements while making Mondo Tempo.”
Freak Heat Waves – Mondo Tempo is out now
The Predatory Wasp 