With a combined age of 53, The Hotelles are very definition of spring chickens. A trio of keenly musical brothers, and significantly more organised than the majority of bands their senior, ‘Movie Reel’ was turned loose on the 4th March without a label and its own video. More power to these boys for it.
The two tracks that comprise ‘Movie Reel’ are well produced, cleverly executed indie pop. In this thoroughly over-subscribed genre, it takes proper songcraft to stand out, and nothing is lacking here. Although lyrically a bit clumsy, Tom’s voice has an extremely likeable tone, and carries their melodies brilliantly. No Beyonce-esque histrionics here, only strong, confident delivery. The harmonies are carefully deployed, and the benefits of family musical collaboration are felt in the tonal similarities of the voices.
She Hasn’t Slept For Weeks is a little bit sinister in content, no doubt informed by the bands’ professed love of wordsmithian darlings the Arctic Monkeys; that deft Turner turn of phrase has been studied and applied here. The understated, gritty bass work is a superb addition to the un-menacingly swinging drums, and a special mention must go to little Sam, confidently and competently keeping rhythm behind his brothers. Swing and groove are the hardest elements of the rhythmic arts to master, but on this evidence the 14 year old is well on his way to being highly proficient in adulthood.
These are quality, fat-free songs with no wasted moments. Although calling two tracks an EP is a trifle generous, the goodness of the material therein cannot be questioned. The videos on the bands’ site show them to be as refined in visual performance as they are on record, and the lack of awkwardness and clear enjoyment belies a band happy to let the music do the talking.
Good stuff, and one hopes that the age restrictions applied at the majority of venues don’t prevent the boys from taking this highly danceable indie lark on the road.