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.
Soft Animal
The Hotelier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the headboard there's a flicker of light and light warning
Sophie's on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver
while I lay still in my bed
That's when I see you there
Fawn doe, light snow
Make me feel alive,
make me believe that all my selves align
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that it is all alright
Your soft face pressed to the wilt,
first spring sunrise
standing low on quivering stilts
In attempting to keep you to stay
I am raising no alarm
It is just us two alone
Then I feel a sigh of wind, your raising eyes
a rolling fog that lets you hide
and I can hear the rustling as you go
Oh, go slow
Fawn, doe, light snow
Make me feel alive
Make me believe that I don't have to die
Fawn, doe, light snow
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that there's a God sometimes
The ring around your mothers heart
grows saccharine then falls apart
and I can hear the rustling as you go
You camouflaged or clearly seen
and nameless in the in-between
and I can hear the rustling as you go
The firing of rifles off
the echo hits you hard enough
and I can hear the rustling as you go
A soft and skittish self inside
shines golden, opal, chrysolite
and I can feel the rustling as you go
Oh, go slow
A mob a voices harmonize
and tell me that your not alive
but I can feel the rustling as you go.
The lyrics of The Hotelier's song Soft Animal paint a scenic picture of a sleepless night or early morning with Sophie and the singer lying in their beds. The scene is set with the soft light warning flicker coming from the headboard. At this moment, the singer sees Fawn Doe, light snow, which makes him feel alive and believe that everything has aligned well. The snow with spots on brown and white gives him the hope that everything is all right.
The surreal and dream-like nature of the song comes to the fore when the singer says that Your soft face is pressed to the wilt, first spring sunrise standing low on quivering stilts. He tries to persuade Fawn doe to stay, but the rustling sound signifies that it is time for her to leave. The fawn is camouflaged or clearly seen and is nameless in the in-between, which possibly hints at the transient nature of life.
The last stanza of the song describes how the singer can feel the rustling as Fawn Doe goes while a mob of voices outside harmonizes to tell him that Fawn Doe is not alive, but the rustling sound signifies the opposite. The meaning of the song can be open to interpretation, but it appears that it's a reflection on what it means to be alive and how everything in life is fleeting.
Line by Line Meaning
We were cloaked in the awning of night or early morning
We were immersed in the dark or dim light of the night or early morning
Through the headboard there's a flicker of light and light warning
There's a faint source of light near the headboard with an indication of impending daylight
Sophie's on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver while I lay still in my bed
Sophie is reading Mary Oliver's book on the top bunk while I'm still lying still on my bed underneath her
That's when I see you there
That's when I see you there
Fawn doe, light snow, Make me feel alive, make me believe that all my selves align
The sight of a fawn in the snow makes me feel alive and connected with my various selves
Fawn, doe, light snow, Spots on brown of white make me believe that it is all alright
The brown spots on the white coat of a fawn in the snow convince me that everything is alright
Your soft face pressed to the wilt, first spring sunrise standing low on quivering stilts
Your delicate face resting on a flower facing the sunrise of spring while standing on frail legs
In attempting to keep you to stay, I am raising no alarm. It is just us two alone
I try to keep you near me without drawing any attention because it's only the two of us enjoying the moment
Then I feel a sigh of wind, your raising eyes a rolling fog that lets you hide and I can hear the rustling as you go Oh, go slow
As the wind blows, I see your eyes move, and the fog rising covers your presence as you leave slowly with a rustling sound
Fawn, doe, light snow, Make me feel alive Make me believe that I don't have to die
Seeing a fawn in the snow makes me feel alive and convinces me that I can live forever
Fawn, doe, light snow, Spots on brown of white make me believe that there's a God sometimes
The brown spots on the white fur of a fawn in the snow make me think there's a God watching over me sometimes
The ring around your mother's heart grows saccharine then falls apart and I can hear the rustling as you go
Your mother's love for you sweetens and falls away, and I hear your rustling departure
You camouflaged or clearly seen and nameless in the in-between and I can hear the rustling as you go
You're sometimes invisible and sometimes visible, and as you're in the middle with no name, I can hear you leave
The firing of rifles off, the echo hits you hard enough and I can hear the rustling as you go
The sound of rifles being fired hits you hard, and I can hear your rustling departure
A soft and skittish self inside shines golden, opal, chrysolite and I can feel the rustling as you go
A part of you that's soft and anxious inside shines brightly in golden, opal, and chrysolite tones, and I can feel the rustling of your departure
Oh, go slow
Oh, go slow
A mob a voices harmonize and tell me that you're not alive But I can feel the rustling as you go
A crowd of voices sings that you're not alive, but I can still sense your rustling departure
Contributed by Charlie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sean Sutanto
We were cloaked in the awning of night or early morning.
Through the headboard there’s a flicker of light
and light warning.
Sophie’s on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver
while I lay still in my bed.
That’s when I see you there.
Fawn doe, light snow.
Make me feel alive,
make me believe that all my selves align.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that it is all alright.
Your soft face pressed to the wilt,
first spring sunrise
standing low on quivering stilts.
In attempting to keep you to stay
I am raising no alarm.
It is just us two alone.
Then I feel a sigh of wind, your raising eyes
a rolling fog that lets you hide
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
Oh, go slow.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Make me feel alive.
Make me believe that I don’t have to die.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that there’s a God sometimes.
The ring around your mothers heart
grows saccharine then falls apart
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
You camouflaged or clearly seen
and nameless in the in-between
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
The firing of rifles off
the echo hits you hard enough
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
A soft and skittish self inside
shines golden, opal, chrysolite
and I can feel the rustling as you go.
Oh, go slow.
A mob a voices harmonize
and tell me that your not alive
but I can feel the rustling as you go.
Dcon
+hinnomiwis taken from their bandcamp:
We were cloaked in the awning of night or early morning.
Through the headboard there’s a flicker of light
and light warning.
Sophie’s on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver
while I lay still in my bed.
That’s when I see you there.
Fawn doe, light snow.
Make me feel alive,
make me believe that all my selves align.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that it is all alright.
Your soft face pressed to the wilt,
first spring sunrise
standing low on quivering stilts.
In attempting to keep you to stay
I am raising no alarm.
It is just us two alone.
Then I feel a sigh of wind, your raising eyes
a rolling fog that lets you hide
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
Oh, go slow.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Make me feel alive.
Make me believe that I don’t have to die.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that there’s a God sometimes.
The ring around your mothers heart
grows saccharine then falls apart
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
You camouflaged or clearly seen
and nameless in the in-between
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
The firing of rifles off
the echo hits you hard enough
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
A soft and skittish self inside
shines golden, opal, chrysolite
and I can feel the rustling as you go.
Oh, go slow.
A mob a voices harmonize
and tell me that your not alive
but I can feel the rustling as you go.
DearShithead
"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves."
- Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
Sean Sutanto
We were cloaked in the awning of night or early morning.
Through the headboard there’s a flicker of light
and light warning.
Sophie’s on the bunk overhead reading Mary Oliver
while I lay still in my bed.
That’s when I see you there.
Fawn doe, light snow.
Make me feel alive,
make me believe that all my selves align.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that it is all alright.
Your soft face pressed to the wilt,
first spring sunrise
standing low on quivering stilts.
In attempting to keep you to stay
I am raising no alarm.
It is just us two alone.
Then I feel a sigh of wind, your raising eyes
a rolling fog that lets you hide
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
Oh, go slow.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Make me feel alive.
Make me believe that I don’t have to die.
Fawn, doe, light snow.
Spots on brown of white
make me believe that there’s a God sometimes.
The ring around your mothers heart
grows saccharine then falls apart
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
You camouflaged or clearly seen
and nameless in the in-between
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
The firing of rifles off
the echo hits you hard enough
and I can hear the rustling as you go.
A soft and skittish self inside
shines golden, opal, chrysolite
and I can feel the rustling as you go.
Oh, go slow.
A mob a voices harmonize
and tell me that your not alive
but I can feel the rustling as you go.
Dre Sab
lyrics at an epicness spot far far away from mainstream clusterfuck songs just how i like
Hanna Radócz
Thanks for posting the lyrics!
Virginia M
first time hearing this band, but I literally teared up at the chorus
Repetition Repetition Repetition Repetition
I love the concept of the songs The Hotelier makes.
Who could make a song about seeing a deer get shot and make it so beautiful and sad at the same time?
its alec time
Best band. You can keep pop punk. Give me this all day all week all year.
Walter Mootz
+Alec Alec Alec I'm a huge pop punk guy, but i couldn't agree with you more. This has an energy to it that reminds me of pop punk, but it's SOOOO much better. It's like The Wonder Years had a baby with Into It, Over It and The Menzingers. Their last album blew me away and I have to admit I was afraid this would pale in comparison, but I'm loving the sound. It feels like they picked up right where they left off and grew even more. God Dammit I love this. Thanks for writing the comment that inspired me to express what I felt.
Connor Chapman
Album of the year. Calling it.
ReturnDivided
This album. My word this album is gonna be great. And those who have worked on it/heard it insist this is not even close to the best song on it. So hyped for Sun with how highly people have been regarding it.