Service has resumed over at artishardrecords.co.uk

There are three key things you need to know about Hot Shorts:
1. They released a summer Christmas single (Sex Christmas) in August 2014
2. A Google image search for their band name, does not present any photos of them
3. Their latest single references hair loss, web forums & monetising blog content

They are also a four piece band from Manchester who have been releasing music since 2014. They’ve had an exciting couple of months; December saw them appearing at the Los Campesinos! Leeds all dayer, in January they recorded a 6 Music session with Marc Riley, in February we can only assume they took the month off and now here we are in March with their latest single ‘metaphor for [something]’ due for imminent release.

It’s all you could ever want from a Hot Shorts song. Sardonic observations play out over a chugging Guided by Voices bassline, occasionally interupted by a well-timed outbreak of ba-ba-ba’s, all building to beautifully unsystematic conclusion. Metaphor for [something] will be released on postcard and digital download on March 10th by Art is Hard Records.

On April 1st Hot Shorts will add Crumbs, Molar and Grotbag to the long-list of bands they’ve played with (Ezra Furman, Kiran Leonard, Trust Fund and The Lovely Eggs to name but a few) when they appear at Fuel in Manchester.

Today we’re delighted to announce our first proper release of the year, the debut album from Washington’s The Sea Life released on sea blue 12″ in partnership with ace US label Babe City Records. Having first found their way into our ears (and hearts) with their swelling sad-anthem Prozac and Merlot, we’re welcoming them to the family by sharing the opening track of the album, Red Eyes.

Red Eyes is a sprawling, scattering gut punch of a track that stumbles its way angrily through a sound that is hard to pigeonhole. Crisp sweet melodies slam against uneasy walls of panic and static, meanwhile Jon Weiss’s guttural howl is perfectly juxtaposed by Jules Hale’s haunting backing vocals. It’s a storming start to an album that barely lets up over its 26 wonderful minutes that mange to be both mightfully impassioned and strangely reflective. 

These are turbulent times we’re living in. Sure, you can have someone ride a burrito to your house in a matter of minutes or use the internet to speak to anyone basically anywhere, but you only have to catch the smallest snippet of news to get the sense we’re rolling downhill with the brake chords cut. The Sea Life know this all too well. Their self titled album is full to the brim with themes of disillusionment and self-awareness, while still infused with a real push for something, anything better. 

We’re looking forward to sharing more of this wonderful album with you, but in the meantime it’s available to pre-order ahead of the May 26th release date on sea blue 12″ (limited to just 100 copies). We are co-releasing this album with Babe City Records who are covering the US version of the release.

The Sea Life are on tour over the next few weeks and will be playing multiple shows at SXSW.

3/9 Carrboro, North Carolina @ Cat’s Cradle
3/10 Atlanta, GA @ Hill Street House
3/11 Tallahassee, FL @ The Wolf’s Den
3/12 Austin TX @ SXSW
3/13 Austin TX @ SXSW
3/14 Austin TX @ SXSW
3/15 Austin TX @ SXSW
3/16 Austin TX @ SXSW
3/17 Austin TX @ SXSW
3/20 Long Beach, CA @ Que Sera
3/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Lost Room
3/24 Boise ID @ Bittercreek Alehouse
3/24 Boise, ID @ Treefort Festival Showcase
3/25 Denver, CO @ The Hi Dive
3/27 Beloit, Wisconsin @ Beloit College
3/28 Chicago, Illinois
3/29 Cincinnati, Ohio  @ Northside Yacht Club
3/31 Brooklyn, New York @ Alphaville, NY

How would you like to receive new music on your doormat every single month of 2017?

Our 2017 singles club will be taking the form of a monthly postcard single from some of your favourite bands. Not only that but we’ll be making four of the twelve postcards into playable postcard shaped records. There are only 100 subscriptions available and the club launched at the end of January with a new single from Penelope Isles.

Penelope Isles • Cut Your Hair • a Wavey Head film

What you get when you join the Postcard Club:

- A monthly postcard single sent to you from the likes of Trust Fund, Penelope Isles, Factory Seconds and more (12 in total)
- A digital download of each exclusive single
- A handwritten welcome postcard from us
- A handstamped and handnumbered box to keep your postcards in
- A Postcard Club pin and sticker
- An Art is Hard pencil (to write us back)
- Exclusive offers & discounts throughout the year

Or for just £14 extra become a pen(ultimate) pal and get:

- All of the above plus four flexidisc postcards that you can play on your record player. Yes you read that right, vinyl postcards!
- Each is ltd to just 250 copies, the first is Penelope Isles, the second is Trust Fund, the third will be appearing at our 7th birthday and the fourth will be our annual Christmas single is December.

For a years basic subscription it costs just £21! (inc free UK P+P). That’s less than £1.60 per month (or half a pint of weak lager at your local wetherspoons).

Subscribe here!