Hot Lobby - Desert/Oasis EP
Release Date: 14th April 2026
Quoting directly from their email "Hot Lobby are a Bristol based grunge-soul/disco-metal band". How could you not want to listen to that. The band's debut EP, 'Desert/Oasis', is an eight track thing of beauty and confusion to let's just dive in, shall we? The collection opens with 'Acid Rain' and immediately you're thrown into a mish-mash of Zappa, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Badcore Horns, and the Weeknd which is as confusing and intoxicating as it sounds. 'Snake Charm' is a more chilled affair with an almost Reggae backbone around which the louche sax and chilled guitars hang while 'Iago' has a Latin inspired riff and a real sundown vocals that comes across beautifully in the chilled vocals.
The first half of the EP comes to a close with the balls out rock riffage of 'Vampire which has a Tom Morello snarl that can only be tamed by the smooth soul vocals that shouldn't work but definitely do. On 'Clarissa's' theme we get a woozy introduction with some sexy synth work before the sax takes over and we are firmly into baby making territory. The funk guitar of 'Jump' is pure John Frusciante while the horns and vocals smooth over the cracks left by the whipcracking percussion. Penultimate track 'Super Human' reminds me of the more chilled moments of an Incubus record and that is probably the most direct link I can make to compare Hot Lobby with but there's a definite British sound in there too. We close out on 'Wanderer' and some of the most sun drenched guitars you're likely to find coupled with the kind of vocal harmonies you'd be more used to coming from Boyz II Men than a Bristol band. Genuinely one of the most interesting, surprising, and all encompassing records I've heard in a long while. Bravo.
More information: https://www.instagram.com/hotlobbymusic/
Live Dates:
15th April - EP Launch @ The Croft, Bristol w/Spin Class + Woermhole