No Vacancy Hotel (EP 2022)

Krooked Tongue

Alternative Rock

February seems to be the right time to experience new music to fill dark and grey days. After likes of Little Thief, Shoun Shoun and Dohny Jep, Memphia Music PR & Management brings us the debut EP of another Bristol-based Alternative outfit, captured to „give the people something to take home with them and keep forever“.

No Vacancy Hotel“ is the name of the release by Krooked Tongue. Before, the band published the singles „I Wanna Steal Your Car“ and „Dance Like A Bull“, for which they made a dance music video. A subject for example Churchpenny Allstars and Paenda used as well, just like Junipa Gold, who present their single „When The Kingdoms Collide“ the very same day.

Krooked Tongue offer the EP on CD in a bundle with a shirt. Each of the four songs has a separate cover in the style of a collage. Like for the first one „Vampyre“, where we see an oversized body with the head in the clouds and bats, like those leaving the Congress Bridge in Austin.

The nasty guitar sound foils the came glasswork in the music video and reminds of Welshly Arms. According to singer Oli Rainsford, it „embodies what it means to be carefree and have fun, the age old tale of ‚drunk invincibility‘“. For that, they found parallels in figures like „Blade“ or from „Hotel Transylvania“.

All instruments greatly fit together due to the fine and modern production. In „Freaky Love“, the group works with dynamics, making think of QOTSA, while on the cover a couple can be seen. But instead of their heads, there is toxic red smoke. One of the strongest references is Highly Suspect like in „Swarm“.

Again, we have a midsection to bang the head with and slate the guitar playing live, while we fall towards a brick house like on this artwork. In the final title track, the drums begin and the Arctic Monkeys and Picturebooks send their regards. The EP package shows a motel style hotel in space, where the sign and a visitor are drowning in the pool.

No wonder places like this were chosen as locations for e.g. „Turn The Page“, „Identity“ or „Bad Times At The El Royale“. Krooked Tongue could easily bring atmosphere to thriller films like those.