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foamboy Turn Up the Heat on “STUPID HOT”
- Shyanne Vaden
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Portland duo, foamboy transforms climate anxiety, loneliness, and the exhausting pursuit of self-improvement into an electro-disco escape.
Article Contributed by Shyanne Vaden
On “STUPID HOT,” foamboy invites listeners to dance at the end of the world, cause at a time like this, it sure feels like it is. The third album from Portland duo Katy Ohsiek and Wil Bakula is bright and irresistibly funky, even as it wrestles with heartbreak, loneliness, aging and the anxiety of living on an increasingly overheated planet. Released on July 10, the 11 track album marks a more house direction, combining synths and jittery rhythms with Ohsiek’s lyricism.
The result is an album that feels equally suited for an overcrowded dance floor and an anxious night drive after a day at work.
Immediately, this album reminded us of Disclosure's early days, and we really fell in love with that, especially since Disclosure has taken on a new direction. That is established on the opening track “FAR AWAY.” Beneath the song’s electronic production is a desire to escape, not only from a relationship or former version of self, but from the unsettling conditions of the world outside.
Foamboy understands that personal crises don't stop just because larger ones are unfolding; unfortunately, at times like these in 2026, many things can be true at once. Heartbreak still hurts during a heat wave. Loneliness still follows you on crowded, lively rooftop bars. Sometimes, dancing becomes less of a celebration than a survival instinct, as the famous saying right now is “joy is an act of resistance.”
“SUMMERING” continues that unease, pairing synths with lyrics on isolation, identity and wildfire smoke, going back to their main theme of climate instability. Ohsiek’s vocals possess a haunting softness that makes the song feel intimate. It does not compete with Bakula’s production, their voice slips between its layers, grounding the textures in something recognizably beautiful.
The track captures the peculiar sadness of summer, especially in the world we live in, and the pressure to be carefree while quietly feeling anything but.
The album’s sharpest writing to us appears on “SELF IMPROVEMENT,” a clever examination of the endless pressure to become prettier, healthier, happier and easier to love, the optimization of being a human if you will. Ohsiek approaches the subject with humor, but the exhaustion underneath it is unmasked. The song recognizes how quickly personal growth can become another impossible performance. To us, it’s relatable in how we try to heal so much or optimize our productivity; we forget to live.
In foamboy’s world, changing your appearance or perfecting your habits cannot guarantee peace.
Sometimes, the constant pursuit of a “better” self only reinforces the belief that the current one is not enough and takes away from the present moment. That same dry humor makes “SOUL SEARCH” one of the album’s most memorable songs. What initially sounds like encouraging advice is exposed as a convenient way for others to avoid engaging with someone else’s problems. The production carries the song forward with the momentum of a nighttime drive, gradually swelling into something heavier and more consuming. It is a perfect example of what foamboy does best, disguising uncomfortable emotional truths inside disco grooves that are almost impossible not to dance to.
The closing track, and our favorite track, “WASTE OF TIME” gives the album room to breathe.
After so much motion, foamboy ends the album in what feels more reflective than resolved, because how do you solve some of these modern-day problems? The record doesn’t pretend that heartbreak, self-doubt, or climate anxiety can be conquered through a good beat. Instead, it suggests that movement can make the weight momentarily easier to carry. With STUPID HOT, foamboy creates music for anyone attempting to improve themselves while privately wondering whether all that effort is working.
The album is funny without being flippant, vulnerable without becoming overly sentimental, especially at a time when we are all experiencing burnout in different multitudes, and danceable without sacrificing emotional pain. It captures what it feels like to be lonely in public, anxious during summer, and painfully self-aware at the party.
The world may be getting hotter, relationships may continue to fall apart and self-improvement may remain an impossible assignment, but foamboy reminds us that we can still find a rhythm inside all of the uncertainty. If everything is getting hotter, STUPID HOT makes a compelling case for dancing through the heat.
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