Quick Facts
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Biography
Hotel Books is an American spoken-word project from Porterville, California revolving around the poetry of Cam Smith (born February 16, 1993). The project is often presented on tour as a full band, but has also been shown as a solo project of Cam Smith. They are known for Smith's unique vocal style, which is often the central focus of their work.
History
Hotel Books began in 2011. After the release of "Call Me Human," many demos were released online, which ultimately became "Everything We Could Have Done Differently." After extensive touring in the US and overseas, the band signed to InVogue Records, under which they released a double-packaged EP, "I'm Almost Happy Here," as well two full band records, "Run Wild, Young Beauty," and "Run Wild, Stay Alive." Along with two albums in the "Equivalency" series and an experimental LP "I'll Leave the Light on Just in Case."
The band's InVogue Records debut, "I'm Almost Happy Here, But I Never Feel at Home" was released July 1, 2014, via InVogue Records. The album received mostly positive reviews, as well as earned the band their first Billboard chartings; No. 9 on Alternative New Artists and No. 20 on Heatseekers, for the album's debut week. Their next effort, "Run Wild, Young Beauty," was released on April 7, 2015, and spent three total weeks on the Billboard charts.
In 2016, Hotel Books released their second long-player "Run Wild, Stay Alive" to negative and mixed reviews. The album focused more on the rock elements and traditional song structure.
In October of 2017, Hotel Books released "Equivalency" via InVogue Records to critical acclaim.
Hotel Books has toured the USA, Europe, Asia, and Australia, playing with a variety of notable acts, including Defeater, Counterparts, and Title Fight.
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Everything We Could Have Done Differently (demo compilation) | Independent | - | - | - | - |
| 2014 | I'm Almost Happy Here, But I Never Feel at Home (double EP) | InVogue Records | 9 | - | 20 | 11 |
| 2015 | Run Wild, Young Beauty | - | 87 | 7 | 29 | |
| 2016 | Run Wild, Stay Alive | - | 12 | - | 9 | |
| 2017 | Equivalency | 7 | 9 | - | 11 | |
| 2019 | I'll Leave The Light On Just In Case | - | - | - | - | |
| 2019 | Equivalency II: Everything We Left Out | - | - | - | - | |
Other Appearances
- Happy Holidays, I Miss You (2016) - Christmas Eve Until I Leave
Style and influence
Hotel Books has been predominantly recognized for Cam Smith's spoken-word vocal style. According to an interview with OurVinyl, Smith cited Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse as his favorite lyricist.
According to Smith, "we usually like saying we are ambient rock with poetry." Smith has listed The Click Five as a main influence in many interviews. The Click Five is also the only artist thanked in all Hotel Books releases.
