Hot Hot Heat's frantic and punky style created a buzz as soon as the band emerged out of Victoria, Canada's flourishing scene. Their
Knock Knock Knock CD quickly turned heads. It starts off with the intense "Le Le Low." The addition of piano on "5 Times out of 100" adds a calm gracefulness to the disc. Keyboards are mixed with synthesizer on the third track, "Have a Good Sleep." Steve Bays' voice makes him an ideal punk rock vocalist. His voice is brash, as it rises over the chaotic instrumentation, especially on "Touch You Touch You." Things slow down on the beginning of the disc's final track, "More for Show." The music eventually evolves back into their standard sound of rollicking indie rock. The first two tracks were recorded at Mansion Studios by John Aiello. The other songs were recorded by
Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla at his Hall of Justice studio. Sub Pop released the EP in early 2002. Bays adds keyboards, while Dante DeCaro performs on guitar, Paul Hawley on drums, and Dustin Hawthorne on bass. ~ Stephen Cramer