Urban Heat is a very popular post-punk trio on the Austin club circuit, and it is easy to see why. Although the band has only been around since 2019, their sound and style are so fully developed that you would think these guys were around for over a decade or more.
The band began as a solo project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jonathan Horstmann, who later recruited Kevin Naquin and Paxel Foley to play live shows. While Urban Heat are most often labelled as “post-punk”, stylistically they are closely aligned with the sounds of darkwave, synth pop, and 80’s gothic electro-rock, all weaved together with a modern sheen and modern lyrical concerns.
Where Urban Heat excel is in their songcraft. They focus on creating a catchy song rather than just a dark, pulsating dreamscape. And these songs have major hooks. We’re talking hooks that more than hold their own against the big boys of this style like Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, Gary Numan, or Sisters of Mercy. The band tends to lay the foundation of a song using a good hook, which they then build upon to create songs that range from dark, moody numbers to more upbeat, anthemic sing-alongs.
The other huge advantage that Urban Heat have is the rich baritone vocals of Jonathan Horstmann. He has that classic kind of voice that suits the band’s style so well.
This album is an expanded reissue of the band’s debut which includes all their material from 2019-2022, including new remixes and collaborations and one new single (“Blissful Neighbor”) from 2023. Two other singles released in 2023 (“Goodbye Horses” and “Like This”) are available on the usual streaming platforms.
Musically the material on Wellness holds up very well to repeated listening, with catchy hooks and moody, pulsating rhythms that are dark and at times danceable. The strongest songs here rival anything I have heard in this genre space, although for me some of the songs end way too soon which is a bummer. Songs like “Trust,” “Reason Why,” “Going Down,” “Running Out of Time,” “Stay,” and “Out of Reach” are worth the price of admission alone. Other songs like “City Lights,” “A Simple Love Song,” “Have You Ever,” and “Gun In Your Hand” are also catchy and have some interesting lyrics that are not at all typical for the genre. I especially appreciate “Gun In Your Hand” which I thought would be lyrically negative, but the narrator ends up pleading with the person holding the gun: “Don’t do it.” That is a great balance to some of their other songs which tend to have a more disillusioned – sometimes even nihilistic – picture of things.
Lyrically they speak to a (mostly) younger generation who feel disenfranchised and burned by false promises, facing the harsh realities of post-pandemic life. However, I do not really see Urban Heat as wallowing in angst or depression as much as I see them trying to form a community with like-minded individuals. As in, okay, life seems gloomy, but we can be in this together and that can help alleviate some of the distress. They seem to have enough self and social awareness to pull that off.
There is no doubt in my mind that Urban Heat is one the best and most promising bands in this genre space right now. In their music I hear notable elements of some major bands including Depeche Mode, New Order, Joy Division, The Cure, Gary Numan, Psychedelic Furs, and even Talking Heads and Modern English. Their arrangements are sharper and not as multi-layered as those of Sacred Skin (another relatively new darkwave / synth band that is also fantastic). Urban Heat could be more closely compared to other modern darkwave / goth-rock bands like She Wants Revenge, Cold Cave, Glaring, Light Asylum, and Forever Grey. Urban Heat are not as depressingly dark as Bootblacks, nor quite as moody and ethereal as Deep Down Wise or Silent Runners. They are not as experimental as Bragolin. Urban Heat simply channels the best of the goth-heavy synth-rock from the 80’s and 90’s and 00’s without seeming to be trying to do so. The music seems very organic and sincere and authentic and not just some throwback or retro attempt.
Overall, I find Wellness to be one of the more engaging albums I have heard in this genre, and I eagerly look forward to hearing more from this band.
Rating: 8.75/10

Track Listing:
1-Trust 3:31
2-Reason Why 3:22
3-Living Well 4:54
4-Have You Ever 3:15
5-Going Down 3:56
6-City Lights 3:03
7-Running Out Of Time 4:48
8-Stay 3:52
9-That Gun In Your Hand 4:19
10-Simple Love Song 3:15
11-Out Of Reach 4:50
12-World On Fire 5:25
13-Blissful Neighbor 3:49
14-Have You Ever (Feat. Party Nails) 3:13
15-Have You Ever (Feat. Party Nails) (Battle Tapes Remix) 4:01
16-Have You Ever (Piano Version) 4:35
UPCOMING CANADIAN TOUR DATES:
Friday, December 1st – Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck Bar *Wellness Reissue Release Day!
Sunday, December 3rd – Montreal, QC @ L’Esco
UPCOMING USA TOUR DATES:
Wed Nov 15 – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves
Thu Nov 16 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
Sat Nov 18 – Huntington Beach, CA – Darker Waves Fest
Sun Nov 19 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar & Billiards
Fri Nov 24 – Kansas City, MO – Mini Bar Kc
Sat Nov 25 – Minneapolis, MN – The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge
Sun Nov 26 – Cudahy, WI – X-Ray Arcade
Tue Nov 28 – Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle
Wed Nov 29 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
Thu Nov 30 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
Tue Dec 5 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East – Upstairs
Wed Dec 6 – Philadelphia, PA – MilkBoy Philly
Thu Dec 7 – Millersville, PA – Phantom Power
Fri Dec 8 – Newark, NJ – QXT’s
Sat Dec 9 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sun Dec 10 – Baltimore, MD – The Crown
Tue Dec 12 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
Wed Dec 13 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Thu Dec 14 – New Orleans, LA – Santos
Fri Dec 15 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall – Upstairs
Sun Dec 17 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger