Their sound is hard to define but simply put, Super Hotel are one of the most charming bands out of Brisbane/Meanjin right now. They blur the lines between indie rock, country and folk to create a truly joyful sound, despite its often reflective and melancholic storytelling.
Fans of fellow alt-country songwriter Steve Bourke will enjoy its dry and honest humour, which combines the twangy vocals of Stella Donnelly or Ruby Fields with the jangly instrumentation of Courtney Barnett’s latest album. I love when Australian artists don’t try to mask their accents and Super Hotel’s Emily Simms is a breath of fresh air, one of the most authentic and affable vocalists I’ve heard recently.
Super Hotel’s songs are derived from Simms’ poetry. I assume these poems were not written with songs in mind, which accounts for this EP’s impressive tongue twisters: “The momentary of reality awakens maniacal monkey magic within me” and “I gotta stay cat, say no, lay low, go slow” are a couple lines I still couldn’t sing quite right after a dozen attempts.
I adore the uniquely Australian imagery Simms produces, often reflecting on our gorgeous trees, whether she’s talking shop with the ghost gums in ‘Shaq Attack’ or watching the pods from red gums fall in ‘Rory Calhouns’. Lyrics like “I walk mostly down by the river brown” ground you firmly in sunny Brisbane while the band’s sound takes you far away from the city.
Simms’ dense and witty lyrics are jam-packed with metaphors and niche references, far more complex than the work of other songwriters in her league. It’s an impossible task to unpeel all her literary devices in just one listen. You’ll be googling 20th-century American actors, thoroughbred racehorses, and whatever the hell a “Grand Royale Touchdown” is, till the cows come home (It’s an Australian Idol reference… I’m clearly of a different generation to the lyricist.) The references that she wrangles pull from such a wide range of pop culture knowledge. In the opening track, she alludes to Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke before name-dropping Matildas star Katrina Gorry.
But it doesn’t matter if you don’t pick up everything she’s putting down. The music is so easy to enjoy, and all you’ll want to do is start boot-scooting to this beautifully mixed production. The EP begins on a high with ‘Rory Calhouns’ which maintains a solid propulsion all the way through. ‘Shaq Attack’, my personal favourite track, slows down the tempo but dials up the bass to create a sense of tension that’s most evident in the loud and overwhelming bridge. It almost sounds like the vocalist is drowning, and a massively different vibe to the bouncy and quirky opener.
Meanwhile, ‘Box of Prawns’ starts off being the slowest track, with some casual strumming and a very relaxed attitude, before it suddenly picks up for an all-gas-no-brakes final verse that becomes one of the most joyous moments on the EP. The guitars play off each other, a synth line gets thrown in, and there’s even some whistling.
You don’t have to be a country music fan to enjoy the affable musings of Super Hotel. They’ve smashed it outta the park on their first EP, and I can’t wait to see where future work takes this crafty five-piece.
Listen to Super Hotel EP on Bandcamp below, or buy the CD from Flippin Yeah Records, and follow them on Instagram.
