It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water

It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water, sometimes shortened to It Was Hot, 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. 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. The opening track, "The Pull", begins with an acoustic guitar that rhythmically pans between the left and right speakers. The brief "Ice" begins with a similar blast of noise and percussion before winding down to an acoustic section. | rev2 = Consequence of Sound
| rev2score = 4/5
| rev3 = NME
| rev3Score = 8/10
| rev4 = Pitchfork
| rev4Score = 9.2/10
| rev5 = PopMatters
| rev5Score = 8/10
| rev7 = Spectrum Culture
| rev7score = 4.5/5
| rev8 = Sputnikmusic
| rev8score = 4.5/5
| rev6 = Rock Sound
| rev6score = 4/5

In Heather Phares of AllMusic's undated review, they said the band "presents delicate, almost folky melodies wrapped up in and surrounded by waves of droning, distorted guitars and organs". Phares compared tracks from the album to those of other artists, but affirmed that the band's similarities "feel like tributes", not plagiarism. In Matt LeMay of Pitchfork review at the time of the album's release, it was rated 9.2 out of 10.

+Release dates and formats for It Was Hot, We Stayed In The WaterRegionDateFormatLabelCatalog num. (Catalog number)United StatesSeptember 26, 2000LP, CDK RecordsKLP116United StatesMay 28, 2013LP, Digital downloadP. W. Elverum & SunELV029