Artist: The Hotelier Album: Home, Like Noplace Is There Label: Tiny Engines Release Date: Out Now – Vinyl / Digital RIYL: Saves The Day, Death Cab For Cutie, New Found Glory, The Ataris

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Pop-punk collided with Emo-rock and hit critical mass in the early 2000s with bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Saves The Day, New Found Glory and The Ataris taking over the airwaves all over the country. The trend seemed to die off culturally in the mid to late 2000s and seemed to head back underground by 2010. Enter Worcester, MA’s The Hotelier (previously called The Hotel Year) who seem to argue that melodic punk rock is not dead and very much alive. Their debut album It Never Goes Out hit in 2011 and has been a moderate success putting the band on the map and turning heads back toward this genre who some can argue has never left. The Hotelier is back in 2014 with Home, Like Noplace Is There; yet another album that will turn even more heads. Fans of the previously mentioned early 2000s bands can rejoice that a band has taken up the torch of emo-tinged/melodic-punk and has done it so well. In fact, The Hotelier adds on a layer of maturity and political/social leanings to the proceedings. Opening with an unexpectedly slow track titled “An Introduction To The Album” the band makes a statement that there is more beneath the surface than just a melodic punk collection of songs, in fact much more emotion and thoughtfulness is apparent on this album than on their previous effort. Amongst memorable hooks and catchy sing-alongs, the lyrics represent a darker and more serious tone. For example the song “Your Deep Rest” caught me off guard with these lyrics: “I called in sick from your funeral / tradition of closure made it feel impossible… / I should have never kept my word to you / Not a cry not a sound / Might’ve learned how to swim but never taught how to drown /You said remember me for me, I need to set my spirit free.” These lyrics cut me to the bone and added deeper meaning to an otherwise catchy rock song. This style is used in most of The Hotelier’s songs on the album. Each track is politically driven via personal experience and emotion. This makes it hard to write off The Hotelier as some band trying to ride the coattails of semi-forgotten genre. The blend of melodic punk with more cathartic emo tendencies makes Home, Like Noplace Is There an album worth listening to and dissecting.