Athen, GA-based duo Hotel Fiction's new EP, Enjoy Your Stay, details the departure of a state of mind.
Sentimental and bittersweet, the indie rock duo's sophomore EP puts tender feelings and growing pain into a time capsule, better yet, a metaphorical hotel where you can wave goodbyes to a not-too-distant past. Unlike many in the genre, Hotel Fiction's songwriting takes on a narrating angle, with very little angst and regrets involved, their lyricism validates melodrama in a matter of fact way.
Two examples of this from the EP being "Man on the Moon" and "Allure," each portrays an oh-so-unlovable antihero you are bound to fall in love with. Despite the undoubtable disappointment towards a lover who may never returns, "Man on the Moon" has a melody that is sweet like a daydream. "Allure" on the other hand, paints a picture of an ever so lovely girl who falls into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl troupe in the best way possible. While the level of sweetness dims slightly in comparison to "Man on the Moon," the distorted guitar and rung out cymbals certainly gives a track a special kind of allure.
From capturing the perfect image of an idle town in "Athens GA," to saying a mental goodbye to a significant figure in your life with "Instead of us," Hotel Fiction packages feelings into songs that feel like your childhood makeshift treasure boxes. The lovely music video of "Monster" channels that kiddy fantasy of "The Monster Underneath Your Bed" in an unexpected way. The band's Jade Long and Jessica Thompson have a cheerful afternoon hang with freakishly cute monsters with bunny-ear ski masks. "Meet the monster / Living under your bed / Maybe he's / Quite funny once you get to know him," Jade Long sings in the song's tagline.
Indeed, Hotel Fiction's new EP is an enjoyable stay, where bad feelings get their endearing moments and good feelings get safely tucked within your carryons.
