On Friday, Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based indie rock band Saint Motel released Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky, their fourth studio album. Saint Motel’s newest album boasts 12 tracks that feature upbeat melodies and simplistic lyrics. Honing in on a summery theme with both pop and indie undertones, the album hooks audiences at the first listen but loses their attention quickly due to the albums melodically repetitive tendencies.
Saint Motel consists of lead vocalist and guitarist A. J. Jackson, lead guitarist Aaron Sharp, bassist Dak Lerdamornpong, and drummer Greg Erwin. The band initially formed in 2007 while Jackson and Sharp were attending film school together. Due to their film background, the band emphasizes visuals within their work and performances. Saint Motel’s debut EP ForPlay featured six tracks each with a visual to accompany them, solidifying Saint Motel’s dedication to incorporating visuals alongside their work.
The band’s first full length album Voyeur was well received by alternative music fans, earning the album a ranking of No.18 on alternative music speciality radio charts. In 2015, the band released their EP My Type and went on to perform two songs from the album, “My Type” and “Cold Cold Man,” on the acclaimed talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. This album marked the popularization of Saint Motel and earned the band a strong fan base throughout the U.S. and the U.K., where the band went on two tours to support the release of My Type.
Saint Motel released the single “Everyone’s a Guru Now” May 5, 2023, hinting at their newest album Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky. When they released the album’s first lead single the band announced that it was from a future album, “Saint Motel Studios.” This project drew inspiration from classic Hollywood film studios and touched on the band’s film background.
Saint Motel later revealed that their project “Saint Motel Studios” had morphed into their fourth studio album, Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky, in September of 2024. Before this announcement, however, the band also released track one, “Fine Wine,” Aug. 4, 2023, track 11 “Slowly Spilling Out” Nov. 3, 2023, and track eight “Stay Golden” July 26, 2024. As if this wasn’t enough singles to put out ahead of the album’s official release, the band also dropped track nine, “Steady Hand,” Oct. 11, 2024 to close out the lineup.
Releasing so many tracks before the album’s release confused fans and failed to stir up excitement for the album. Listeners felt as though they had already heard enough of the album to understand its message before actually listening to Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky once it was officially released. Saint Motel could have kept the mystery alive more by withholding a few of the album’s tracks, releasing five singles made the flow of the album feel disrupted, with singles and new songs mixed together haphazardly confusing listeners of the previous singles.
The album’s first track, “Fine Wine,” initially released Aug. 4, 2023, has an optimistic tone that quickly falls flat due to the song’s repetitive chorus and bridge that simply restates lyrics introduced in the song’s first verse. “Our bodies will age, but we’ll never grow old/ We’ll keep on running ‘til we run outta road.” “Fine Wine,” written by lead vocalist Jackson, has an overall heartwarming and carefree messaging about the process of aging, but while the concept of the song is enticing, it would have been more impactful if the lyrics had been less repetitive, doing justice to the song’s clever concept of using the metaphor “aging like fine wine” as a song idea.
Track four, “Life’s a Gas,” stays in line with the album’s upbeat tone. The instrumentals within this song compliment the softer vocals that Saint Motel embraces. However, the chorus and verses are, again, disappointingly repetitive, distracting listeners from the song’s potential to stand out in the album. If listeners can move past the song’s tedious lyrics the song is worth a listen due to its mix of instruments, such as piano and guitar, which effortlessly meld into the song’s lyrics. “Life’s a gas/ I’ve got forty reasons to be glad/One for every season,” Jackson sings during the song’s chorus.
“Hold My Place In Heaven,” track seven on the album, is the only song besides track nine, “Steady Hand,” that could be considered leaning into different genres or tones. “Steady Hand” has a sad feeling to its production that makes it feel unnaturally placed on the album which otherwise features solely playful songs. “Hold My Place In Heaven” is upbeat and, you guessed it, repetitive, but also manages to feel catchy. “Heaven, could hold my place in Heaven?/Could you hold my place in Heaven?” Jackson breathily sings, warning “Cause angel, even angels lose control.” To accompany the song’s chorus, the intro to the song is dramatic, relying on strong instrumentals that carry throughout the song. By mirroring the sound of violins, they add a different layer to the song for listeners to unpack.
Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky falls short of expectations simply because the band did not take enough risks to stand out or make the album feel as timeless as their previous works. If the album had ventured into more exploratory lyrics or genres like folk or rock it would have been a much more replayable album, but Saint Motel failed to stray into enough new directions, making it painstakingly clear to fans that earlier albums, such as My Type, remain their strongest work.
With undertones of other artists’ sounds like fellow alternative indie band Wallows and pop artist Harry Styles, Saint Motel’s newest album draws parallels to other artists without upstaging them. If the band delves into new genres and gets more creative with their lyrics, they have the potential to recreate their success with their earlier releases. The album’s haphazard track list and repetitive lyrics and genre earn Saint Motel & the Symphony in the Sky two and a half feathers.
