EP Review: Park Hotel - 'Nothing To Lose'
Park Hotel’s glittering debut EP ‘Nothing To Lose’ offers up a glimpse of Studio 54 by way of London and Barcelona. Something of a lovechild between Confidence Man’s knowing fun and the genre fusing party instincts of Crystal Fighters, the EP showcases the band’s knack for a floor filling tune. The five piece initially came together as a result of the meeting of minds between Barcelona native Rebeca Marcos-Roca and Londoner Tim Abbey and the band’s cosmopolitan foundation is at the heart of their sound.
Recent single ‘Make It Happen’ kicks off proceedings, offering up a mission statement of sorts as the band declare “You are more than just a woman, you are more than just a man, let’s make it happen”. Another previous release, ‘Nothing To Lose’, follows suit and offers up an infectious beat for strutting along the streets of “the concrete jungle” to in an ode to the joys of the metropolis.
‘Good People Bad Dreams’ has a hint of The Talking Heads about its esoteric groove, Abbey’s vocal inflections certainly feel so David Byrne one almost expects him to start questioning whether this is indeed his beautiful house. Things calm down a notch with the more introspective psychedelic bent of ‘My Mind’, as Abbey and Marcos-Roca duetting vocals rise and fall together along with the lyrics about falling in love.
EP closer ‘Turn Back Time’ may as well be a time travellers’ adventure back to Chic at the height of their powers. The soaring chorus of “I’m holding on to you” is an unashamedly uplifting mantra. Unifying and anthemic, this should make for a mighty set closer at their upcoming headline show.
Nothing To Lose shows off not only Park Hotel’s instinct for a groove, but also their ability to put some heart and soul back into the dancefloor. They mean every word, beat and bassline and that’s what makes the difference between a head bob and messy, limbs akimbo shape throwing. I know which I prefer.
Words by Hattie Long