All of the noise, all of the heat

'GOLD MOTEL doesn’t exist, but if it did, you’d find it on a winding road somewhere in the sun-drenched hills of Southern California'

Lauren Henry

The slow decline of The Hush Sound under the pretense of a 'hiatus' was devastating to watch; no one could be more gutted than I. For someone who has followed the band through the makings of their debut album So Sudden (Dorian Gray, anyone?), to Like Vines and finally, to the brilliantly-decadent Goodbye Blues, it was unlikely anything better could exist.

And then Greta Salpeter made Gold Motel.

It started from one of their first singles that appeared on a five-song EP, back when Greta was believed to be pursuing a solo project. 'We're on the Run' was featured on the Indie Rock Playlist, which is, by the way, an invaluable site for lesser-known genius. Greta's amazing vocals and inspiring lyrics caught me immediately. Hook, line and sinker. The amazing thing was that the rest of the band was made out of a mish-mash of musicians from This Is Me Smiling and The Yearbooks, particularly the notable guitarist of the former, Dan Duszynski. The chemistry of the five musicians was obviously too hard to resist, and thus, Gold Motel was born.

First things first, Gold Motel sounds near nothing like the Hush Sound. Granted, the Hush Sound may have been magnificent in its own right, but Summer House creates a whole new sound altogether. Greta's California-inspired summer lyrics filled with heartwrenching nostalgia will surprise a THS listener, but pleasantly. The ten-track playlist features simple and clean (but lovely, none the less) guitar riffs as compared to the signature distorted jarrs of Bob Morris, an absence in morbid lyrics and noticeably less keys by Salpeter. All in all, a light-hearted album dedicated to living life at it's fullest.

More than an album, it is a story. A story of road trips, love, and finding solace in summer houses. Something, pretty much incredible :)

So here's to you, Greta!


Side note: It will still be extremely sad if The Hush Sound never writes and plays together again. Bob Morris is still a guitar king. The Days of Chris Faller may be over, but hopefully, that will change! The Hush Sound <3