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THE first single released by one of the hottest original bands in Bahrain has attracted almost 1,000 hits on YouTube within a few days of being released and the song is receiving regular airtime on Radio Bahrain, writes Stan Szecowka.
“Narcissism, produced by Hani Taqi at Studio 77, is the debut single for hard rock act Hot Laser and explores the insatiable craving for admiration amongst today’s youth described as a ‘serious disease turning into an epidemic’.
‘If you have ever taken a selfie, or own a selfie stick, you suffer’, say the 1980s-inspired outfit made up of Ash ‘Trey’ on drums, Joe ‘Danger’ Dalton on bass guitar and backing vocals, Daryl ‘Dynamite’ Bustos on lead guitar and Rob ‘Jungle’ Jennings on keyboard and vocals.
“There is always a certain amount of hesitation when releasing original art, thankfully the response has been very positive,” said Robert. “We have enjoyed delivering a new sound to the Bahrain audience and we are pleased original music is pushing its way forwards. The usual reaction of fans and listeners is surprise, bewilderment and intrigue which we are happy to provide.
“We are all absolutely thrilled. It was a novel experience for most of us and we had no idea the amount of hard work and organisation required, but in the end our goal was achieved. Releasing the single is of course a stepping stone for us before the album release.
“Hearing the song played on the radio was fantastic and completely surreal. We are genuinely concerned about the overuse of computers and ‘selfies’ in our social lives, so we are pleased to get our message across with Narcissism.
“We have had nearly 1,000 hits on YouTube, and our Facebook page has increased to almost 4,000 likes. iTunes takes a couple of months to report sales back, but we are hopeful the song has been well received and would like to thank all our fans who have supported us by buying the song.
“Our fans are the most important component in the mission of Hot Laser, we really enjoy chatting to them after the shows, getting their feedback and having fun.”
The band is busy continuing with recording sessions and working on an album at Studio 77 which has a release target date of January 2016. There will be 12 tracks and the members say they can’t wait to share it.
Hot Laser performed live at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club last Friday and appear regularly at Brazil Lounge Adliya.
