- Emerging late last year with their first single Dead End Town, Melbourne duo Heat Wave have calmly sauntered their way through 2017 to the release of their debut record Dead Beats. The Victorian two-piece build upon the formula of that lead single, crafting minimalist darkwave that revolves around the dual vocal delivery -ranging from yelps to haunting monotones- and powers itself with sludgy, standout bass guitars.

There is an overarching sense of escapism encapsulating Dead Beats, and it’s blaringly obvious if you take a linear look at the track listing. Beginning with a pre-planned rendezvous on After Midnight; voicing distaste for their current living situation on Dead End Town; listing off places they’d rather be on Anywhere But Here; the reason for wanting to escape with The Man and then the eventual acceptance of reality on The Silence. Heat Wave are just completely bummed with their current environment and revel in these fantasies to cope with all the arduous, mundane and crappy crappiness. This escapist fantasy channels a skeletal echo of what US band Drug Church does, but the bands go about it in very different manners. Both pursue escapist narratives, both have these paired, rough vocals, but where Drug Church hit you with the impressive density of paired lyrical onslaughts, Heat Wave are far more stripped back and cold, giving them a desperation and fragility that really chills.

With only two tracks on the album peeping over the three minute mark, none of these songs overstay their welcome, become superfluous or come across as too repetitive. Each idea, built on drum loops and synth lines is used with precision and every one falls in line with the chunky bass - which takes on the role of a lead more often than not. Empty House is probably the most cohesive track on the record, with the stark and minimal drum loops plodding the song along while the two pronged vocal attack is used to the greatest effect. The interplay between these vocals and the bass prior to the synth's introduction is the most memorable moment on the album: Heat Wave dial back the aggression and revel in something simple, even cheap, disposable, but so effective.

If you're still not getting it, here's a pop culture reference to hook you in. If there were a dance party that snapped Daria Morgendorffer out of her anti-everything mood and on to the dancefloor, Heat Wave would have to be on the bill.

- Matthew Lynch.