The sophomore album from Chicago’s Motel Breakfast, called I Promise I’m Having Fun was produced by R. Andrew Humphrey (Twin Peaks) and captures an indie rock spirit in the same vein of bands like Cold War Kids, Dr. Dog and The Menzingers. These emo-tinged songs were written by all five band members, and showcase a band starting to come into their own identity. Motel Breakfast is Conor Brennan, Drue deVente, Jimmy Drenovsky, Mick O’Donnell, and Jesse Nasadowski, and their band chemistry pays off on I Promise I’m Having Fun.
The records kicks off on the right foot with the excellent single, “The Call,” that features great guitar parts and soothing vocals. The picturesque lyrics of, “Baptized in gray water and raised on tainted land / The world grew up around me with a rage beneath the sand / Blame fate and thank the lord, the bricks were bound to fall / ‘Cause no matter how long I listen I will never, ever, ever, hear / The call,” put focus on the tangible, physical elements around them. Other songs like “Rhonda (NYE)” and the guitar groove found on “Fairview Ave” highlight a band coming to terms with the state of the world, while still leaving room for experimentation in both their songwriting and personal development.
The middle section of the LP features some cool jazz-infused songs like “Lit A Match,” that reminds me a bit of Hot Hot Heat paired with early Walk The Moon. The second verse of, “Running out in the heat while the sun goes down / Alternating between feeling like a clown / And feeling great, I know my place is so composed and proud / If we just wait we’ll set it straight but I can’t talk right now,” puts the focus on the complexity of relationships. Other tracks like “MB (as in Modern Baseball)” feature an up-tempo approach to their songwriting and pay homage to emo bands like American Football and Spanish Love Songs as well.
Late standouts like “Wonder Year” are simply beautiful in their composition, and make it a fun time to be a music writer discovering key bands like Motel Breakfast. The closing duo of “Orchard” and the sprawling opus of “Suite: Learning To Live” highlight the songwriting improvements from this young band from Chicago. The closer, in particular, has a vibe to it similar to The Killers and hits its intended target more often than not.
Overall, there’s plenty to love and enjoy on I Promise I’m Having Fun. The band works best when they play off of their core influences and tinker their sound to match the vibe of the lyrical content. I’d like to see the band continue to explore the depths of their sound and find ways to utilize their immense musical talent in the best way possible. The future looks blindingly bright for Motel Breakfast.