Tacoma-based group “Hot Stepmom” is comprised of lead vocalist, writer, and guitarist Anna Norris, lead guitarist Cameron Mclennan, drummer Benjamin Babcock, and bassist Jarin Szewczyk. Norris, McLennan, and Szewczyk are all first-year students at PLU, while Babcock is a first-year student studying at Tacoma Community College.
Guitar solos, eclectic lyrics, and striking imagery are the ingredients that give rock bands their shining allure. Hot Stepmom offers all of that, and they’re only getting started.
During an interview with lead singer Norris, she offered insight into how the band formed. She stated that the members met during a 2019 band summer camp where they were randomly placed together.
On January 19, Hot Stepmom released their buzzing new single “Hive” as a teaser for their upcoming alternative rock-pop EP called “Nothing to Nowhere,” which comes out on March 19. Norris told me releasing the album on the spring equinox was intentional as it represents the theme of cyclical self-destruction that will show up in the EP.
A listen to “Hive” demonstrates the craftsmanship and intention in this upcoming project. The song takes gentle symbolism and juxtaposes it against the gritty sound which coalesces to a buzzing brilliance. Norris told me she wrote the song when she was 17, inspired by Slyvia Plath’s poetic motifs about bees.
Norris loves the imagery due to her own fear of the insects. Her goal with “Hive” was to “relate her fear of bees to talk about her own fears and destructive habits in her relationships.” The full EP “Nothing to Nowhere” centers around themes of guilt, destructive relationships, and inner conflicts. Make sure to give “Hive” a listen and save the date for the upcoming EP. You can find Hot Stepmom on Spotify and Apple Music by searching the name.
