Music, Style & Culture

First On: Sun Hotel

Like any band making hazy pop music, Sun Hotel’s beginnings lie in a college dorm room.

Their bio says ‘we live in the south, we like it, we make music.’ That’s a pretty good description of the ethos of New Orleans’ Sun Hotel. Sweeping vocals and soaring melodic lines are counterpointed by jarring rhythms in a sound the band describe as post-gospel indie pop.

Like any band making hazy pop music, Sun Hotel’s beginnings lie in a college dorm room.Tyler Scurlock and Alex Hertz began messing around recording themselves in 2009. Eventually, the two of them grew to a 5-piece and their sound evolved into a complex dance between a fuzzy, ambient buzz and crashing cymbals and guitar chords.

They draw from a variety of musical history and styles. A western style guitar riff opens ‘Voodoo You’, the bass line to ‘Suburb’ has a 1950s vibe, while ‘Palms’ and ‘Book God’ could come straight from Animal Collective’s back catalog. That’s not to say Sun Hotel are stuck in the past; their debut LP ‘Coast’ is an album that ranges from drifting and meandering tracks such as ‘Seasonality’ or ‘Rediscovery’ to loud, brash moments such as ‘Egyptian Cotton’ or ‘Loose Women’.

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.