London psychedelic-punk trio Hot Face have released their new single “Bumble Been,” a 70-second blitz that serves as the final preview of their debut album, Automated Response. Arriving January 23 via the taste-making label Speedy Wunderground, the album was captured in a high-stakes, one-take session at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Working with producer Dan Carey, the band recorded the entire 25-minute project straight to tape in front of a live audience, an experience intended to preserve the sonic mayhem and raw energy of their feverish live performances.
James Bates says:
“Bumble Been is a 70 second blast of straight up garage rock delivered to the main line. Half rebel outcry, half call for the plight of the bumble bee – a short lived assault that doesn’t stop stinging until it does.”
The journey to Abbey Road began after a chaotic midnight set in Rotterdam, where Carey challenged the band to record the album in a single day. The resulting record is less about studio perfection and more about “explosive kineticism,” moving from bedroom demos to a “sonic freight train” of garage-punk. To celebrate the release, the trio,comprising James Bates, George Cannell, and Sam Catchpole, will embark on a UK tour later this month, including dates in Southampton, London, and Oxford, bringing their “pedal to the metal” philosophy to stages across the country.
Continuing about the album, he says:
“Automated Response was put together with the live show in mind. We wanted it to be a powerful jab to the cranium – a sonic freight train that leaves you spinning long after it’s passed. With the premise laid out by Dan, it kinda had to be that way! Despite our best efforts we weren’t exactly going to be coming out of Abbey Road with Dark Side Of The Moon under our arms after one day of recording – so a garage-punk record it was.”
However, the songs that make up Automated Response are us focusing not so much on a particular sound but more on an energy:
“A kind of pent up explosive kineticism that is the result of leaving the garage and sharing a body of music with the world after what felt like an aeon. An energy that we were letting loose at every show we were playing whether the room was empty or full – pedal to the metal no matter what. Having the opportunity to do this with Dan acting both as producer and 4th member, in Studio 3 at Abbey Road, in front of an audience, straight to tape. Real cool fun time.”
