iIlluminati hotties – FREE I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For

After a rather messy round of public accusations around royalties and compensation with Tiny Engines Records, iIlluminati hotties has been a part of a multi-artist exodus from the band’s former label. The early contract buy-out clause and re-purchase of their masters stipulates royalties for the label for a new release, around which the band has titled a sophomore full length, FREE I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For.  Rather than release the true follow-up to iIlluminati hotties’ debut, Kiss Yr Frenemies, the album serves as a career tangent, creatively rooted in these circumstances and aiming for artistic liberation.

FREE I.H. fires a wide spread from the band’s metaphoric shotgun, with front woman Sarah Tudzin aiming wide with a soundscape that is varied and unpredictable, showcasing iIlluminati hotties at their most spontaneous.  One moment a track glides wistfully along like leaves in the breeze (“b yr own b”), and the next it’s rattling and banging along like a truck on a gravel road (“free ppl”).  Other times, she bridges the album with entire songs consisting of jarring electronic noise (“free 4 all”) or breezy, lyric-free harmonies (“free dumb”).  The predominant sound, as exemplified by the wittily named, “will i get cancelled if i write a song called, “if you were a man you’d be so cancelled”,” might be best described as a loosely “angular,” but guided by an overall sensitivity to melody.

But while the many forks in the road might be seen as flipping the bird to her contract by releasing something a little less cohesive than planned, Tudzin is careful to find a balance and satisfy fans along the way.  “Frequent letdown” is a shining example of providing fans with their new favourite summer’s day pop ditty.  The song’s sugary, singable chorus masks the self-defeating message in repeated lines like, “I’m always letting everyone down.”  A track later on “K-HOT AM 818,” the band’s intelligent use of soundbites features a fifty second sonic echo of “frequent letdown” by imitating a college radio show host.  “Here a illuminati hotquarters we’re committed to keeping you happy, hydrated, and most of all, having a great time,” says Tudzin, adding a subtle little jab at her formal label, closing the PSA with the line, “so hang on to your master’s folks and keep it locked to K-HOT AM 818.”

FREE I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For is exactly what it promises – not the true follow-up fans had been expecting to 2018’s excellent, Kiss Yr Frenemies.  But as illuminati hotties remind us, some of life’s most satisfying moments are not the ones we’ve come to expect.  FREE I.H. makes for a wholly unique listen that will likely be remembered fondly in the illuminati hotties discography down the line.  At present, the album leaves listeners curious and anticipating what Tudzin has in store next while offering a new batch of goodies in the interim.