The distinctly bright and charming self-titled debut album from Hospitality turns 10 years old. The Brooklyn trio's youthful and brilliant take on indie and acoustic pop still stands the test of time as one of my personal all-time favorites, even after a decade.
It's officially been a decade since the year 2012 and what a time to reflect! Crazy, right? I'll say it again: crazy, right!!!??? You, dear reader, can't believe it's been 10 years since 2012 and neither can I. A ton of influential music had come out throughout that year: breakout albums from new artists, career high albums from veterans, and albums from critical darlings that would quickly become huge megastars. I'd like to go into detail on how much of the music from 2012 has greatly impacted my life another time in the form of an essay or post, but for now I'd like to dive into a certain debut album that officially turns 10 years old towards the end of January, on the 31st to be exact. It's the debut album from the Brooklyn-based trio Hospitality, called Hospitality. I feel a rush of excitement to write a retrospective piece on this really personal and meaningful record but I also feel super old now (I was about 14 when this album dropped). This is the first time (I think) I've written about an album that has been aged over the signature "10 year" mark and what better album to cover than this one?
For those who don't know Hospitality (which you most likely don't know, but I won't completely rule you out), they are a band based in Brooklyn who started out back in the late 2000's, around 2007-08. The group comprises of Amber Papini (vocals, guitar), Nathan Michel (percussion), and Brian Betancort (bass). All three members stand out in their own right, especially Amber Papini. Still one of my favorite voices in music, Papini's super distinct, light, airy, and cheeky vocals is one of the main reasons why this band sounded so brilliant. Her approach is super original, charming, and incredible to say the very least. Nathan Michel has been a prolific musician and producer in electronic and abstract pop music under his own name. Brian Betancourt is a clever bassist who provides an extra warmth to the already cozy and intimate indie pop tunes the trio create. They released a self-titled EP back in '08, featuring some early versions of songs we'll eventually hear on the full-length. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to find nowadays... even on the internet! I've been able to find "Half an Apple" and early demo-like versions of "Argonauts" and "Betty Wang" but nothing else from it. If anyone who reads this is able to find it, I will reward you handsomely (a venti Starbucks coffee is on me!)
To describe Hospitality's overall sound and vibe is like describing a setting from a New York indie/artful romantic comedy from the late 90's to early 2000's (you could probably picture a Wes Anderson film). The songs themselves range from preppy indie pop with a sophisticated flare. There is a light, airy feel to these songs like a warm breeze on a sunny Summer's day. Papini's cutesy and distinctive voice and lyrics are descriptive like that of an English college professor, reminding me vividly of Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig during that band's 2008 debut album cycle. Actually I would say there's a lot of correlation between Hospitality and Vampire Weekend; the similar vibes of preppy, art school indie rock and pop that people will either endearingly love or unabashedly love to hate. To make things connect even more, Papini and Michel met at Yale for goodness sake. There are of course many reasons why Hospitality stand out from the crowd and why they are not simply a second helping of bands that were acclaimed in the "twee" music scene like Belle and Sebastian, or Camera Obscura. The ultimate combination of distinct vocals, bright production, indie pop, acoustic pop, and light jazz makes them a knockout act.
In 2012, Hospitality really made a splash on college radio and all the indie blogs with Hospitality, their self-titled debut album through acclaimed North Carolina based indie label Merge Records. Many of the initial songs from the EP landed onto this album, which gave the band a lot of time to carefully craft and polish their songs to enriched detail and completion. At this point, the twee genre is kind of said and done at this point in 2012 but with Hospitality they pretty much said, "No! It is far from over!" There is a balance with the fun, light, and happy instrumentation across these songs that compliments with Papini's romantic charm and dark sense of humor. Take "Friends of Friends," the sax-driven banger of a lead single. Papini's "I don't want to go / I'd rather be home" is a tried and true situation that we've all related to and still sounds more relevant than ever. Amber Papini is the real OG y'all... put that on my tombstone. The band's youthful energy is unmatched across the LP and on tracks like "Sleepover," Papini's take on youthful romance takes one back to a much more carefree time ("I'm not tired, I'll be staying here up all night, don't have to sleep / Let's pretend that we're married, keep your hat beneath the sheets").
The moments that are best for Hospitality are when they provide acoustic, blissful ballads. This would be more apparent on the band's next album, 2014's shadowy Trouble, where we would get even more intimately lush and gorgeous ballads. But back on Hospitality, we have the intimate ballads like "Julie," and "Argonauts," which both conclude in noisily explosive fashion. "Eighth Avenue" is probably the track that best describes Hospitality with the rush of joys and fun from their acoustic strums and indie pop. There are other songs that are happily trotting along at a faster and louder tone. "All Day Today" features these bouncy horns that are meant to be turned up to full blast. "The Right Profession" has the youthfully shouty harmonies that sound so childlike and innocent over a sunny and almost slacker guitar delivery (think Pavement). "Betty Wang" is the cheery minded, lovestruck acoustic pop that pleads to the title character that she will follow Wang wherever she goes.
Ultimately there are so many moments packed into Hospitality that it would take all day to unpack and read through, so I'm not going to keep you here forever dear reader. The fact that this record is turning 10 is truly incredible; the fact that this album and band still sounds refreshing, fun, and brilliant makes it stand the test of time for sure. It's still incredibly sad to say that we haven't seen the band active since their second album Trouble in 2014; it's been eight whole years ago since it came out. They've been on a hiatus for awhile with Papini and Michel married and having a family together while Betancourt is touring and working with other musicians on their records. I believe that some day they will come back together and continue to make music. That dream is still alive to me. Hospitality is a glaring reminder and motivator that keeps this dream alive. But even if that dream isn't true, we will still have this album. And that is one gift I still am blessed to have, 10 years on.
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