There will likely be a car idling by ACL Live’s back door, waiting to dash Urban Heat leader Jonathan Horstmann from his appearance at the Kate Bush tribute to Hotel Vegas for his own record release party. The Wellness EP is six slices of darkwave synth-pop that scan like Depeche Mode or Erasure undergoing serious therapy, filled with Horstmann’s dramatic baritone, burbling analog synths, unrelenting drum machines, and post-Peter Hook basslines. And while Horstmann acknowledges the EP’s theme is everyone’s precarious mental health these days, as well as “the things that trigger us and the ways we cope,” he insists that the overarching mood is, “We’re going to get through this together.” Perhaps the glossy electro surface sugarcoats the bitter pill Urban Heat asks you to swallow, with a nice antidepressant finish? Seems so, as the trio’s recent single “Have You Ever?” went crazy on TikTok and amassed 230,000 Spotify plays. Philadelphia’s similarly minded Lovelorn and not-too-dissimilar locals Holy Wire prime the stage.
Sat., July 30, 10:15pm