Hot Collars come back with simple, feelgood grooves.

 

There are few bands that epitomise the sound of peak summer, feelgood vibes as well as Hot Collars. Since their first release two years ago, we’ve been eagerly waiting for every new release to get our annual fix of summer sounds. It seems the band is aware of this too, since only four songs have been released to date: each one dropping in either June, July or August to capitalise on summer breaks.

Waitin, as you might expect, is another sunny dose of alt-rock energy. Where previous singles were much more set in their unorthodox adoption of 50s and 60s stylings and rhythms, Waitin is much more of a standard affair. The chugging guitar lines sound like they’ve come straight out of a Stone Roses rhythm section and the percussion is predictably breezy and urgent.

However, this also works against the single. While it brings the fun we expect from the band, it’s a less quirky than their previous works. Unfortunately, the lyrics are repetitive on this occasion, in such a way that they don’t pull away from the standardised instrumentation. It sounds great as a call-and-response track and a mid-show interlude but, at a rate of one song per year, it doesn’t feel necessarily worth the wait. You’ll need to partner it with the other songs to really appreciate it.