It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, sometimes shortened to It Was Hot, is the second studio album by American indie folk and indie rock band the Microphones. It was released by K Records on September 26, 2000. After Phil Elverum—the frontman, principal songwriter, and producer of the Microphones's albums—had gained a small following with 1999's Don't Wake Me Up, he recorded It Was Hot in Dub Narcotic Studio in Olympia, Washington, between September 1999 and March 2000. The album was recorded on analogue tape; Elverum embraced the medium's technical imperfections. The album was described as indie rock, lo-fi, and indie pop and was inspired by Elverum's visits to the ocean. As a whole, the album centers on the theme of water, while its lyricism is heavily themed on nature. The 11-minute track "The Glow" acts as the album's climax and introduces the concept of the "glow", which was explored in more depth on 2001's The Glow Pt. 2. It Was Hot received positive reviews from Pitchfork, AllMusic, and NME. Pitchfork listed the album at number seven in their "Top 20 Albums of 2000". The album received more reviews following its 2013 reissue, including positive reviews from PopMatters, Consequence of Sound, and Treblezine. The album is frequently compared to, and commonly said to be overshadowed by, The Glow Pt. 2. Background and recording Phil Elverum—the frontman of the Microphones—released Don't Wake Me Up in 1999. The album was recorded using low-fidelity studio equipment, setting "a new precedent" for K Records, since Elverum's production was perceived as high-quality despite technical limitations. As a result of Don't Wake Me Up, Elverum gained a small following, and K Records gained a greater trust in Elverum's musical abilities. Prior to It Was Hot release, Elverum released two seven-inch singles, "Moon Moon" and "Feedback (Life, Love, Loop)" as well as the extended play Window:. The album was recorded at Dub Narcotic Studio in Olympia, Washington. Elverum realized the tracks he was recording were appropriate for an album, rather than individual singles or compilation tracks, when about half of the tracks were finished. The album was recorded on analogue tape, which caused difficulty in re-recording takes, leading Elverum to avoid pursuing perfection. He described this self-imposed limitation as the "technological reason for pursuing charismatic sloppiness". The album makes little use of reverb effects. Elverum did not write all of the album's parts; as he explained,