Review Summary: The Hotelier presents the crowning jewel of emo.
This is what I would consider the crowning jewel of the most recent wave of emo music in the past decade or so. I feel with every new era of this genre there is always some band pushing the boundary for further evolution that is almost always to the betterment of the music itself, but it is quite a different story with this record. Home, Like Noplace Is There is not very experimental musically much at all, instead favoring simple song structures that are beautifully composed and so well put together that it has to be one of the most consistent concept records out there, not just for emo or pop-punk or what have you.
Vocally, the singing itself is so passionate that whenever it breaks into these throat-tearing screams it might just give you goosebumps. From the impassioned, practically inconsolable cries on Life in Drag to the intense, emotional belting that is sported on "Your Deep Rest", the record has this wide array of emotional venting despite most songs having the same themes, essentially.
Accompanied with lyricism focused on death, gender identity, grief, guilt, and mental illness a majority of the songs have the same structure; the guitars steal the show a lot of the time, feeling almost haphazard to mirror the emotions displayed throughout each track as it ranges from twinkly guitar chords to beautiful crescendos melding between bass lines and rhythmic drum patterns.
All of this fairly simple instrumentation and build-up leads to the final track, where the singer is accompanied by two other vocalists as if he is now being supported in the grief he expresses (which seems to be due to the suicide of an LGBT friend) so painfully, singing of his memories with the loved one and the grief they left him with, as well as questioning his own gender identity. The record ends with a few wonderful lines, practically challenging the listener to say that all these problems are just a product of overthinking as this chaotic cacophony of guitars and the drums crash and burst.
With all that is said on this album in regards to not only grief and love, but also identity, it is hard to not say this is possibly one of the greatest emo records of all time, and will possibly (and deservedly) be hailed as a classic in due time. Being a transwoman myself, this record has helped me find my way through many tough times - and I hope it does the same for others.
