The Hotelier formed in June 2009 when lead singer Christian Holden met Chris Hoffman, Zack Shaw, and Sam Frederick while attending high school in Dudley, Massachusetts. In 2009, the band released their first EP, titled We Are All Alone, which received little success outside of Massachusetts. At the end of the year, the band released Two Song Demo. In 2011, the band released their first album, titled It Never Goes Out, receiving some attention.
Originally named The Hotel Year, the band changed its name because they did not think the name was particularly good, and there was a band called My Hotel Year which they did not want to be confused with.
The band released their second album in 2014 titled Home, Like Noplace Is There, which brought the band to attention in the emo revival scene. After releasing the album, vocalist Christian Holden stated in a blog post on the bands Tumblr that "Our new album deals with some real dark stuff. So to all my brooding and slightly damaged friends, have your a happy album or Rugrats in Paris nearby. It’s partly about my experience with friends and loved ones in the past three years which were very complicated, toxic, and abusive. But laid within is a lot about the deconstruction of self for personal growth and transformation. I hope it helps you live and stuff. Apparently we are emo now." Home, Like Noplace Is There ranked at number 1 on the AbsolutePunk staff's top 30 albums of 2014, and number 6 on the users' top 50 albums of 2000-2015. According to Marc Snitzer, writer for the Philadelphia City Paper, The Hotelier was named one of two bands "leading the emo revival". The release of the band's sophomore album was ranked number seven on Alternative Press's list of the "12 Biggest Moments of The #EmoRevival in 2014". Leor Galil, writer for the Chicago Reader named it his favorite record of 2014. The band was also featured (for their second album) in a Boston Globe article highlighting the best music from Boston in 2014. The album was included at number 29 on Rock Sound's "Top 50 Albums of the Year" list.
The band was featured on Property of Zack's "Artists To Watch in 2015". The band performed at the 2015 Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, Spain. In the spring of 2015, the band supported La Dispute and Title Fight on their co-headlining tour.
On 15 February 2016 Christian Holden wrote a blog post on the band's Tumblr account in which they mentioned an impending album announcement for an album entitled Goodness. The album was formally announced the next day. At the same time the band released a trailer for the album set to the song Goodness Pt I, a song sold as a limited edition numbered vinyl during the band's 2015 tour.
The band premiered their second single titled "Soft Animal" on April 22, 2016. The album itself was released a little over a month later, on May 27, through Tiny Engines.
Goodness Pt. 2
The Hotelier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the wind kissed the back of your neck
I would lay and absorb in the silence
In your language I haven't learned yet
In the tune of the National Anthem
Sing the words while the corrugate burns
While our burning desires are crackling
When your eyes became focused on absence
How the shadows were cast on the plain
Under moonlight of middle November
I was shifting to stay in the frame
Oh, and I would eat from the tops of your branches
Spit it out, break a bow, and descend
I would dream of the ways we'd get cradled
While this lullaby rings in my head
When this began
This was a thing
That we could both share
A bit of shame
The goodness fades
And we'd begin there
When this began
This was a thing
That we could both share
A bit of shame
The goodness fades
And we'd begin there
The lyrics to "Goodness Pt. 2" by The Hotelier paint a picture of a serene moment shared between two people. The opening lines set the scene, with the sun resting on "olive shoulders" and the wind gently kissing the back of someone's neck. The singer then describes how they would lay and absorb the silence, reveling in the beauty of a language they haven't learned yet. This moment of peace is interrupted by the tune of the National Anthem, but even as they sing and their burning desires "crackle," the two people remain unified in their verse.
As the song progresses, the singer's focus shifts to the other person's absence. They notice the way shadows are cast on the plain and acknowledge their own efforts to remain in the frame, even as the other person's attention wavers. There's a sense of longing, as the singer imagines eating from the other person's branches and dreaming of being cradled by them. Finally, the chorus repeats twice, emphasizing that although the goodness fades and there may be shame, they will always begin again and share what they can.
Overall, "Goodness Pt. 2" is a beautiful, contemplative song about shared moments of intimacy and the persistence of hope even when things are difficult. The lyrics encourage listeners to cherish the relationships in their lives and to continue to strive for connection, even in the face of obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
When the sun rested on olive shoulders
At that moment of the day when the sun was setting, and its rays were upon your shoulders like an olive color.
And the wind kissed the back of your neck
The breeze was soft and gentle and it felt like it caressed the back of your neck with a kiss.
I would lay and absorb in the silence
I would rest and take in the quietness of nature around us.
In your language I haven't learned yet
You spoke in ways I didn't yet understand, in a language unfamiliar to me.
In the tune of the National Anthem
The sound of the National Anthem played as a backdrop to our moment together.
Sing the words while the corrugate burns
As we burnt the ridges of our emotions, we also sang along to the National Anthem.
While our burning desires are crackling
As we shared our feelings and desires with one another, they were bubbling and crackling like a fire.
We exist in the unified verse
We're connected in a harmonious way, in sync with each other's needs and wants.
When your eyes became focused on absence
When you began to long for something that wasn't there.
How the shadows were cast on the plain
The way the light affected the darkness around us, highlighting certain things and hiding others.
Under moonlight of middle November
It was a specific time of the year when the moon was out and we were beneath its glow.
I was shifting to stay in the frame
I was making moves and adjustments so as to remain a part of your life and thoughts.
Oh, and I would eat from the tops of your branches
I tasted your love, and savored every moment of it.
Spit it out, break a bow, and descend
But then I couldn't handle it all and had to let go of what we shared and move on.
I would dream of the ways we'd get cradled
I wouldn't stop myself from hoping and dreaming in the ways we'd be held and loved by one another.
While this lullaby rings in my head
As I recall and remember all the moments we shared, I do so with this soothing song playing in my mind.
When this began
At the onset of our relationship, when we first began to explore each other's worlds.
This was a thing
Our togetherness, the bond we shared, was something real.
That we could both share
We both were invested and interested in exploring and deepening our bond.
A bit of shame
Somewhere down the line, we felt something that we shouldn't feel, as if there was a bit of guilt.
The goodness fades
As time passed, the light and happiness we shared began to dim and fade away.
And we'd begin there
We'd start from the point where we felt guilty and our happiness was beginning to dwindle.
Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CugnoTheSwiss
From 2:01 to 3:01 is the best part of the album for me.
hernan perez
Mi canción favorita de la banda, me hicieron recordar que tengo corazón... Gracias!
dagoberto8888
Love this band.
Funny thing, the singing in the stanza remainds me the old pop hit Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
Adrian Castellon
Yeah! The guitar solo reminds me of Goo Goo Dolls from the SuperStarCarWash era :)
Ryne Pacheco
Really wanted them to repeat that hook at 2:50
feels good man
Brett Yeaton
"in these days we fall noothiiing... AT AAALLLLLLL" Does that part hit anyone else like a ton of bricks?
desillusion
2:02 just makes me happy
Pavlo Poso
2016 fav album
Dinba
Too strong for youtube, lol. :D