Bristol duo Mumble Tide are back with “Hotel Life”, their first new music since the excellent Everything Ugly EP form early 2022. Of the new single, vocalist Gina Leonard reveals:
“‘Hotel Life’ is a song about relinquishing control. We wrote it after Ryan’s dad had a ‘funny turn’ whilst on a work trip in Reading and we rushed to pick him up from hospital and ended up staying the night in a weird corporate business hotel on the outskirts of the city. I think hotels can be quite confusing spaces…I like running away in my head to a kind of ‘hotel life’ where I can escape everyone and be completely in control of who I am. Ultimately though, that’s not healthy or possible. The song is overall positive and uplifting (I hope) – it’s about not giving up.”
A propulsive indie jam emboldened by melodic additions and atmospheric imbuements, “Hotel Life” is a lovely vessel for Leonard’s worries and ultimate lessons. “Try to caution to the wind / I guess I should’ve checked the weather,” she sings with a wry sigh in the intro, then goes on to list the trappings of a grey life in a hotel; hallway interactions, car park views, tucked in sheets. It’s a smirking and shringking way of referencing how life is just so unpredictable and uncontrollable, a feeling that ultimately pours over in the chorus, where Leonard’s monotone musings crack into emotional unloading with satisfying catharsis. It comes out in strained bubblegum pop that winds its way around your head, flanked by brass and other little audio tricks that emphasise its devilish hookiness.
Watch the video for “Hotel Life” below or find it on streamers.
“Hotel Life” is out on Nothing Fancy. You can follow Mumble Tide on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
