two". Steven Arroyo of Consequence of Sound wrote, "The Microphones sound is inseparable from nature and the outdoors [...] and so too is It Was Hot from the magical glowing buzz of a summer night swim, about which Elverum repeatedly sings." Paul Pearson of Treblezine noted the album's recording imperfections and its intimacy. Pearson wrote, "[the album] is a study in subjection and liberation, crossing through warmed tides to ice and back again." According to Daniel Mescher of Colorado Public Radio, the album is "widely regarded as [an] indie pop classic". Patrick Lyons of Stereogum reviewed the album in 2020, comparing "The Pull"'s guitar opening to the opening of the then-newly released Microphones in 2020. According to Lyons, the album solidified the sound of Don't Wake Me Up without giving up its "roughshod charm". Martin Douglas of KEXP reviewed the album in 2022, noting Elverum's boyish voice, the album's intimacy, and the inspiration the album had on "any weirdo singer/songwriter crafting dense musical epics in their basement since the turn of the century". It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water is commonly described as overshadowed by the more popular The Glow Pt. 2. Douglas wrote, "Not many artists can say they wrote their masterpiece [It Was Hot] and then a year later, wrote another masterpiece [The Glow, Pt. 2]". Spectrum Culture Joe Clinkenbeard called The Glow Pt. 2 the album's "better known sibling" and said It Was Hot "was given little chance to sit with listeners". Joshuatree described The Glow Pt. 2 as Elverum's "peak", but still called It Was Hot its "just-as-pretty twin" with "too little attention directed towards" it. According to Patrick Lyons of Steregum, It Was Hot "lacks the vast scope and deep emotional core of its follow-up" but it "unfairly lived in the shadow" of The Glow Pt. 2. Elverum said, "I mostly don't pay that much attention to how the stuff I've made is ranked in comparison to itself". Track listing All tracks written and performed by the Microphones unless noted. Personnel Adapted from the album's liner notes. Phil Elverum Khaela Maricich Mirah Jenn Kliese Anna Oxygen Karl Blau Jason Wall Calvin Johnson Release history Notes References 2000 albums The Microphones albums K Records albums