HOT FREAKS - LET’S START A COUNTRY “Cause everybody wants to get away/ But no one ever does.” Hot Freaks are back with an unusual proposition. New single LET’S START A COUNTRY floats a utopian, if misguided fantasy anyone can relate to. Taking the form of a carefree calypso, LET’S START A COUNTRY explores the disappointment of an encroaching reality on the honeymoon period of an exciting new relationship. Once nearly lost to time, Minneapolis musician’s Hot Freaks resurfaced nearly a decade after disbanding once viral hit Puppy Princess broke out on socials, summoning their reunion tour and, lo and behold, fresh jams uncovered from ancient times circa 2013 to present day. LET’S START A COUNTRY is one such unearthed artifact. A treasure from a time capsule, having gestated for about 10 years, the infectious synth pop serenade has finally “found its home” as frontman Leo Vondracek puts it. Unearthing Hot Freaks signature sound mixing sweet disco beats with tongue-in-cheek sincerity a la Of Montreal, MGMT, and dare say even ABBA. Swirling melodies and syncopated rhythms easily encapsulate any new couples craving for the creation of a place to call their own. Kicking off with a fun little “whoo!” LET’S START A COUNTRY imagines a vegetarian utopia where lovers “living in a vacuum” start a country as easy as “one two three,” yet once the song’s narrator does “a little research” it “turns out you can’t just do this type of thing/ in fact it’s kinda regulated.” Despite the harsh light of reality, Hot Freaks’ uniquely catchy qualities, percussively perfect shakers, and preciously earnest handclaps, weave a wonderfully daydreamy ode to the romantic ideal of escaping into the paradise of a person you love more than the whole wide, and unfortunately real world.