The Hotelier
“Soft Animal”
Goodness (out 05.27 on Tiny Engines)
The Massachusetts quartet’s breakout LP, Home, Like Noplace Is There, was a breathtaking, cathartic tour de force that dug into the darkest, most uncomfortable recesses of suburban American life. The themes weren’t new, but vocalist/lyricist Christian Holden’s fearless, penetrating writing and his bandmates’ evocative, melodic post-rock guitars and crashing drums made the record one of the hardest to shake off of 2014.
Two years on, they are no longer just four friends from a nondescript Boston suburb; they are critical darlings and one of the driving forces behind an exciting movement of young bands who are breathing life into an emo/post-hardcore scene that seemed dead in the water (Into it. Over it., The World is a Beautiful Place…, Modern Baseball, etc). For that reason, it’s not surprising that Goodness‘ third single is dripping with nostalgia and recalling a simpler time. In his throat-shredding wail, Holden tells the story of an innocent, peaceful moment in nature, destroyed by the crushing reality of human intervention. It’s hard not to see it as a thinly viewed metaphor for the hatful of new challenges that creating a special album can bring. Obviously, time will tell if Goodness will be the successor that the great HLNIT deserves, but early returns are highly promising.
