What you heard about Sun Hotel? Word around the campfire is…
“Put your sunglasses on. Sun Hotel is fucking brilliant.”
“It’s undoctored, catchy passion, and there’s something unusually human about that.”
“If you squint, Sun Hotel’s Coast almost — almost — sounds like it emerged fully formed out of the Northern woods, full of Gibbard-y solemnity, Arcade Fire grandeur, and Moondoggies atmosphere. Dig deeper, though, and the vibe of the band’s Louisiana home bleeds through like murky water seeping in under the door, bringing all kinds of mysterious stuff along with it.”
“Sweeping vocals and soaring melodic lines are counterpointed by jarring rhythms in a sound the band describe as post-gospel indie pop.”
“Live, they exude energy and joy. Taking the stage with an easy confidence, in a city where brass bands and Jazz are ubiquitous and truly innovative indie pop is in short supply, Sun Hotel stand out.”
-This is Fake DIY
“Best of 2010″
“The vocals and instruments are awash in a production of swirls and bright warm sun. This brings to mind me riding my Schwinn strand cruiser to Hermosa Beach in my jeans and flannel tartan print long-sleeve shirt and resting my eyes in the hot hazy sun to wake up an hour later dreamy and slowly considering my next youthful adventure.”
-Heroes of Indie Music
“Soon after the release of their excellent Team Spirit EP in early 2010, DIY dudes Sun Hotel became favorites on New Orleans’ college campuses. While the young band’s disheveled blend of bliss, belligerence, and irreverence initially drew a litany of Pavement comparisons, their first full-length, Coast, finds them taking a page out of another indie icon’s book, Modest Mouse. Expanding on the themes of life, death, morality, and spirituality found in their previous work, here, Sun Hotel mixes vibrancy and vehemence (“Suburb”), brashness and brooding (“Loose Women”), and tension and tranquility (“Egyptian Cotton”).”
- Aaron at Offbeat Magazine
“the band has expanded its repertoire, developing from an anonymous acoustic dorm-room duo to a confident, fleshed-out quintet…
Chameleons of New Orleans’ budding rock ecosystem”
- Noah at the Gambit
“Sass aside, I love it when I love things. Especially submissions. And I, well, I like this a lot.”
“…whether the members of Sun Hotel are smashing jangly chords in an indie rock passion fit, or bending notes in a riff-driven bop, their versatility is displayed and it just fucking rules…
Sun Hotel is actually bringing fresh new ideas to the table, executed in a style that will blow any others who will surely try to emulate them out of the water. It’s time originality is recognized in indie rock, rather than throwbacks to dead varieties of music rehashed, and Sun Hotel just might be the band to lead the way.”
- Joe at Stereokiller.com
“Sun Hotel has risen quickly through the ranks of the New Orleans indie scene with catchy hooks and layered, melodic vocals. They’ve proven to be a band to keep an eye on in the relatively short time they’ve been playing around New Orleans.”
“Sun Hotel sound like the South they’re from, Sometimes swampy and sweltering, sometimes cool and breezy, but always assertive and self-assured.”
“One doesnt have to be from new orleans to fall in love with coast, but it doesnt hurt. the record has heart and passion, two things which i think are sorely missing from a lot of records being released today. definitely gonna a top ten’er… very highly recommended.”
“What I like most about this Sun Hotel is they’re a band who’s album makes me want to see them live. Some bands only sound good on wax and don’t quite deliver when you’re there to see them in person, but this LP feels like a preview of a live show. The album tells a story from start to finish…”
“I think with any new band you’re running into for the first time, you want to hear stuff that makes you believe, that makes you look forward to future releases of theirs. I think this EP accomplishes that quite well”
“Extremely impressive; full of straightforward, yet energetic, takes on some extremely nimble and well-written tunes …song after song moved from soaring hook to thoughtful interlude – and then back again”
“Young love is a motherfucker… with wistful, heart on the sleeve, alt-country-esque, deep south swagger”
“A mix of smashing drums, jangling guitars, irreverent feedback, and astutely bewildering lyrics… Ahhhh,the beauty of blissful belligerence.”
“You can certainly feel the fun they had recording it for it is powerful and honest.”
“Team Spirit is the kind of music you find yourself listening to on the road. Sitting in the backseat with a mountain of thoughts to deconstruct, the mellow sounds invite you in and then hit you with powerful lyrics. It helps you guide yourself through those thoughts to an ending that makes life much easier for you. If you don’t stop to focus on the lyrics, you’re missing a great deal.”
“Folky, fuzzy, gospely, cigarette smokey, real-life….”
“A picnic made from scratch. Sun so warm it makes the bugs buzz and butterflies flutter. Wildflowers that smell like heaven. “ALLWAYS” makes me think of that and yearn… The best sad songs don’t feel sad… I don’t think bands strive to sound like this anymore. Do they?”
“They remind me of the road trip I took when I first moved to Chicago having no clue what to expect.”
“Imagine the mellower Pavement songs with an Animal Collective-type psychedelic haze over them and Teenage Fanclub vocals. That kinda adds up to this wonderful EP which, I’m gonna say it, is probably one of the best releases of 2010 so far.”
“I love the use of hymnal humming (forgive me for making up terms…it’s what I do at times) behind the calming and smooth voice of the main singer. The drums complement the song perfectly… Overall, it’s perfect proportions of instrumentals, blended with a voice that soothes my ear”
-Mog
“Sun Hotel makes songs that will steal your mother’s heart. If “Team Spirit” were a human being, he’d chain-smoke and fight people outside bars. When you’d ask him to hang out he’d say “F%#k you.” …But you wouldn’t care because he’s that cool.”
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