HotWax are a band set on experiencing life at its most intense. In the past two years, the Hastings-via-Brighton trio – comprising Tallulah Sim-Savage (vocals/guitar), Lola Sam (bass), and Alfie Sayers (drums) – have toured extensively, including shows with Royal Blood and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, and festival appearances at Reading & Leeds and All Points East. Out of this comes debut album Hot Shock (out now on Marathon Artists), a record of adrenaline-jolted anthems about abandoning fear and leaping towards the future. The band recorded live at London’s RAK Studios, perfectly capturing the ‘explosion of colour’ energy of a HotWax show. The band worked with an all-female production team, Catherine Marks (boygenius, Wolf Alice) and Steph Marziano (Hayley Williams, Let's Eat Grandma), with additional recording in Joshua Tree, California. Sim-Savage recalls how Marks was drawn to HotWax after an intimate gig at the Blue Basement in July 2023. “It was the sweatiest gig we’ve ever done – packed,” she says. “Afterwards, Catherine said, ‘I need to record your album. It needs to feel like a party.’” These songs were made to be played loud and with abandon, but also have a vulnerable pulse underscoring them. It's this balance that could propel HotWax to become the UK’s next big crossover rock act.

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