Cheap Hotel - New York Format: Single Release Date: 3rd Mar 2008 Label: Hero Rhymes With Zero Records Rating: Cheap Hotel rattle out a sound that takes the sharp female vocals of Cat Power and marry them to the contorted postpunk of Pavement, with a keen eye focused on the scattershot use of melody reminiscent of The Modern Lovers. The promo Cd came with disco silver lettering on a black background, a fine cover for the spiky and shimmering music inside. Intelligent pop of the finest order, Cheap Hotel use the spaces between their instrumentation to as much effect as the jarring pop tones they create the track with. Repetitions of “New York”, despite not meaning much lyrically on their own, become a loaded mantra in the head of the listener. Cymbals and snare sit high in the mix, leading the track to revolve around their crackled beat. Even without the sparse guitar work you could imagine this track would still sparkle, yet it is with their addition of sleaze and that the music begins to capture the lyrical descriptions of “Neon Signs” and the city. On the evidence of this track alone it is possible to surmise that a great future lies ahead of Cheap Hotel.

Written by: David