Max Hellmann, Drew Mottinger, and Patrick Doyle all cut their teeth in various bands around Los Angeles (Controlling The Famous, Sputnik Monroe, Wintergreen) before ending up in Hotel For Strangers in 2014. At the onset of the new venture, the trio overhauled their approach for this debut five song EP, bringing in two drummers and female vocal harmonies that match hooks with samples and electronic beats.

With dual vocals from Hellmann and Mottinger (and occasionally Jessica Gerhardt’s sweet pipes) to help flesh out this brief listen, Hotel For Strangers needs to make quick work to grab our attention and that is easily accomplished with the first track, “Work.” Armed with an arena rock chorus and more hooks than a fisherman's tackle box, it's a memorable electro-pop opener that’s both muscular and gentle. “Bat Face Girl” follows with a calmer approach (though it's no less interesting) with fluttering synth and emotive singing, before the contemplative “Come Around.” Stacked with a sleek and hypnotic undercurrent, this track could easily take over the FM dial in today’s electro-pop friendly culture.

The second half of the disc brings us “Make Me Alive,” where playful keys meet marching band drumming that starts out restrained and erupts into an explosive pop anthem with great, breathy singing. The five-song listen closes on “Spiritual Cowboy,” a fuller and more rock-oriented end with multiple voices, prominent keys, and an introspective backdrop; it’s one of the few moments where you can truly tell there are six members in this band.

Hotel For Strangers is an EP where each subsequent song gets substantially better. Considering that it starts out well above average – nearly at The Postal Service level of greatness – this is a wonderful thing for fans of the genre that prefer both acoustic and electronic sources of their indie pop.

Rating: B+

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