Kappa
Apollon, 2023
8/10
An aptly titled band name, Heatwaves make for plenty of warm, summery sounds across these 11 tracks that welcome beats and jazz ideas in very soulful ways.
“Squids” gets the listen off to a hazy start with the crisp drums and glowing guitar embracing some funk spirit, and “Dirty Rats” follows with a thicker presence of bright keys and tonally spirited guitars that find some neo-psychedelia to reside in.
Halfway through, “Nugel” is a more rock focused excursion into warm melodies and agile drumming, while “Kappa” is a punchy album highlight that uses the bouncy bass strategically.
“In Disguises” and “River Rascal” exit the listen, where the former is a more intimate moment of retro dreaminess, and the latter touches on timeless jazz flavor via the firm drums, flowing keys and fluid guitars.
Heatwaves consists of members of bands like Young Dreams, Shaman Elephant, Lint, John Olav Nilsen & Gjengen, and Miss Tati, and those varied genres make for a unique, accomplished and globally embraceable body of work.
Travels well with: Separate Bed- Separate Bed; Honey Vein- Honey Vein