Hospitality

Trouble (Merge)

Hospitality’s sophomore release is much darker and more mature and polished than the New York trio’s eponymous 2012 debut. Case in point, the pulsing “Last Words” finds singer Amber Papini venturing into the sublime and finding it too terrible: “I took a boat to Eden/A priest was there to meet me on the sand […]/These brackish waves surround me and I have no exit.” It’s a far cry indeed from the awkward post-college parties evoked in the band’s previous outing, despite the same sense of drive and desire. Carnal hunger for another manifests itself here too, particularly in the witty “I Miss Your Bones.” Meanwhile, “Rockets and Jets,” which manages to somehow be both synth-y and lo-fi, slices through tranquility with New Wave menace. Rare treat to see a band come of age so quickly, and Trouble leaps forward. (9:45pm, Parish)

***.5

This article appears in March 14 • 2014.

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