Beginning as a noisy, synth-based combo in 1999, Victoria, British Colombia's Hot Hot Heat evolved into an aggressively catchy indie-rock band two years later, when keyboardist Steve Bays took on the vocal duties and guitarist Dante DeCaro joined their ranks. The group's new lineup -- which also featured founding members drummer Paul Hawley and bassist Dustin Hawthorne -- brought a newfound sense of melody and witty wordplay to their music, which they debuted on their 2002 EP Knock Knock Knock. The EP, along with tours with groups like the Walkmen and Dismemberment Plan, paved the way for the full-length Make Up the Breakdown, which arrived in the fall of that year. An album of their earlier, noisier work, Scenes One Through Thirteen was also released on Ohev. The group rounded out a busy 2002 by signing to Warner Bros. shortly after Make Up the Breakdown's release. After touring for most of 2003, Hot Hot Heat spent the following year recording; that fall, DeCaro left the group. However, his work appeared on the resulting album Elevator, which Sire released in spring 2005. ~ Heather Phares

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