Hot Tubs Time Machine Fifty Shades of Marcus / No Thanks, Google Maps 7″
The Melbourne/Naarm duo of Daniel and Marcus (also of LUXURY TAX) makes up HOT TUBS TIME MACHINE, and they dropped this 7” showcasing “Fifty Shades of Marcus” along with “No Thanks, Google Maps,” already released on their 2021 self-titled debut cassette. These two songs follow suit with the band’s lo-fi sound: vocals, synth, drum machine, and bass. The style is slow and spacious, with screwball, stream-of-consciousness lyrics that are forefront in the mix. The bass does some grooving, but otherwise this isn’t music you’d move to—the synth matches the angular spirit of the spoken word vocalist, and the percussion is rarely more than a kick drum and a hand-clap. I really like the comedy aspect of this project, particularly the Live at the Pinnacle recording I listened to, but I feel like the studio recording leaves a little to be desired: too sparse and not enough of the personality comes through. That said, I’m not writing these guys off. Daniel and Marcus released “a treasure trove of scattered recordings from 2020 to present” on their 2024 Food & Ruins cassette, which has much more of a full band vibe, building on their synth-y spoken word origins. Check ’em out and you decide!
