Peak inspiration often arrives at moments in transit. The time we allot to the liminal transitory spaces between our abodes and work, from points A to Z and all the places in-between is where creativity often strikes. Aphorisms emerge from the depths of our consciousness, ambient noise and quips of conversation becomes the principle basis for films, plays, portraits, landscapes, songs and anything the powers of imagination can muster. Just a snippet of an idea can strike while power walking, juggling a splashing to-go mug of a preferred warm or cold beverage as the mechanical aspects of motion illustrate an inkling of an idea that captures our attention (especially while thinking about dozens of other things all at once). Somehow from the recesses of our disorganized unconscious, concepts spring to our senses when we least expect and become the foundation for newfound fascinations that were never before considered, let alone created.

As the story goes — a fateful wait for an 8 Bayshore Muni bus became the groundwork for San Francisco duo Strange Men's new single "Hot Nights" for the brand new SF/Seattle imprint Big Pink Records. Conceived by Róisín Isner who sounded out the phonetic percussive progressions to herself before conveying it guitarist/bassist Ashley Clayton; the two built a royal ruckus that shakes, sneers, trembles and quakes with a fury that rides high, tough and feisty all under a minute and a half. Strange Men abide by the intrinsic and psychic school of pop curation, edifying the economy of engineering and designing the perfect, succinct song that accounts for everything that you would ever want to experience.

“Hot Nights” is a class act in demonstrating the power of creative intuition. Strange Men have smartly stumbled upon the crafting the perfect, punk-inflected pop gem. Róisín Isner and Ashley Clayton explore the hot and cold weather paradoxes, raging against the elements in a song that suits the climate polarities of San Francisco to a T. Strange Men execute their deliveries vigorously with a virulent, visceral and vicious velocity that stops at nothing and for no one. It's the track that we all need right now. An outlet for our anger, our anguish, a vessel for all the feelings that we cannot contain in a world that barely to rarely ever seems to make sense. While there is a little we can do to alter the wayward winds and meteorology that works according to the earth sciences that are a mystery to those of us outside of the doppler radar range: "Hot Nights" rides into that violent eve, railing, rocking and rolling against the icy chill of the cold and the sweltering and scalding ultraviolet beams of atmosphere piercing sun.

With visuals directed by and featuring the absolutely iconic Panda Dulce with photography and editing work by Michael Beltrán, we are transported into a close quarters performing space equipped with strobing lights. The author and drag queen joins in on Strange Men's performance pop séance, igniting some fiery and ferocious energy into the equation of "Hot Nights". Together the multidisciplinary artists unleash an explosion of attitude, flashing lights, blazing sounds and infectiously erratic motions. This collaboration of local titans is the perfect way to kick off your clandestine subterranean soiree, a song for all seasons and a way to celebrate Halloween in your heart and soul all year long.

[NOTE: FLASHING LIGHT EFFECTS MIGHT IMPACT THOSE WITH PHOTOSENSITIVITIES]

Róisín Isner along with Panda Dulce shared the following exclusive insights on the inspirations behind “Hot Nights”, music, memories and more.

Róisín Isner

I wrote “Hot Nights” in 78 seconds, the amount of time it takes to listen to the song. It burst into my head fully formed while I was waiting for the bus. My phone was dead so I couldn't record a voice memo or jot down the lyrics, so I had to loop it on repeat in my mind until I got home to a pen and paper. As a drummer, I don't really know how to articulate how I hear guitar in my head in terms of chords or notes, so what I wrote looked ridiculous: dun dun / dun dun / dun dun / dun dun / BWOWEEE!

Ashley learned the song in 78 seconds. I mumbled through the lyrics and sang an impression of how I'd heard the guitar. He strummed a bit, adjusted his pedals, and was like, got it. We played it through perfectly on our very first run. This sounds spooky and vague, but I do think of songs as something that exist out there. Songwriting to me has always felt less like writing, more like conjuring. Like a perfect version of the song exists somewhere, and I'm just trying to find it. Sometimes this is a labor, but other times — as with “Hot Nights” — they strike like lightning.

Panda Dulce

Róisín and I first met in high school as teenage punks performing in bands in late-night SF Bay Area venues we were too young to legally patronize. We wandered the city by Owl Muni, smashed Mission burritos and reveled in the chaotic, ear-splitting riffs of our local punk scene’s signature offbeat and politically-charged tradition. These anthems defined us.

I like to think of Strange Men’s “Hot Nights” as a ritualistic summoning of the chaos spirit that pushed and connected us during these unruly younger years. The same spectre that tenderly ushered us to become the antifascist, intellectual and creative adults we are today. Róisín and I are now an award-winning writing partnership (!!), whose screenplays about San Franciscans have received accolades from Sundance and SF Indie. Róisín is one of my best friends: a witchy democratic socialist organizer, published disability rights activist and cat whisperer, whose hair never fails to channel Stevie Nicks regardless of an event’s prescribed dress code. As a drag story hour founding queen, social worker, children’s author and Marco Rubio’s (nonconsensual) poster-child for rabid wokeism; it goes without saying that this team-up was both kismet and long-overdue! As you’ll see in this music video, the chaos spirit remains alive and unwell. We hope she moves you.

Strange Men's single "Hot Nights" arrives November 2 via Big Pink Records, catch them November 12 in San Francisco at Brick and Mortar.