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MojoJul 25, 2019There's something rather comforting about finding them wholly unchanged after four decades and nearly 10 million album sales. [Sep 2019, p.89]
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Jul 25, 2019Hotel Last Resort is a collection of music that is poised and deliberate, provoked and provoking. Not a record to be taken at face value, it begs for a conscious listen, start to finish. It affirms Violent Femmes’ place as one of the greatest contributors to both the punk and the American musical canon.
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Jul 30, 2019For those not already familiar with the Femmes, this probably won’t be the point of entry that provides a portal to instant fandom, but it’s a fun and worthwhile listen. ... It’s a solid representation of what they do well and an impish and occasionally truly insightful good time.
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UncutJul 29, 2019A grouchier echo of that opening shot [their 1983 debut album]. [Sep 2019, p.27]
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Jul 29, 2019They’re still fun and vital, and they still know how to make an exit.
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Jul 29, 2019On the whole, Hotel Last Resort is nothing special in the band’s career, and doesn’t feel like it, either. It’s simply another solid effort from a group that has yet to put out a bad one.
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Classic Rock MagazineJul 25, 2019A Violent Femmes album is always a treat; witty, lucid, self-deprecating, beat-up but ever-reliable. ... Hotel Last Resort is all of that. [Aug 2019, p.95]
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Jul 25, 2019The band mixes things up with the a cappella word salad of "Sleepin' at the Meeting" and the sentimental balladry of "Paris to Sleep." By and large, however, Hotel Last Resort follows the formula the Violent Femmes have been perfecting since their inception, delivering an above average batch of their wiry, smart, and sometimes tortured songs.
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Jul 25, 2019Strange, inexplicable and uncomfortable are descriptions the Femmes’ are likely proud of. Their ageing indie audience expects nothing less and should be more than happy to check into this hotel of last resort.
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Jul 26, 2019Though the band have toed the line between boyish charm and adolescent callousness for most of their career, this ambivalence has not aged well, and often obscures the more successful moments of sincerity on the record.
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Aug 1, 2019Where earlier efforts such as Hallowed Ground saw the band command sparse irreverence, Hotel Last Resort, much like We Can Do Anything, won’t generate much excitement.
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Jul 26, 2019There’s one sublime moment: Paris to Sleep is a Jonathan Richman-esque reflection on the marvels of that city, with a delicate and stately arrangement that’s shiveringly good. The rest? File under average.