Hotel Kalifornia Explained
Hotel Kalifornia is the eighth studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. It was released on August 12, 2022 through Dove & Grenade Media and BMG. The album was produced by No Love for the Middle Child.[1] [2]
Background and promotion
On September 5, 2021, the band announced that they were working on new music for their upcoming eighth studio album.[3] On February 25, 2022, a few months after the announcement, the band released the first single "Chaos".[4] [5] On April 20, the band unveiled second single "Wild in These Streets" and its corresponding music video.[6] [7]
On June 8, the band released the third single "City of the Dead". At the same time, they officially announced the album itself while also revealed the album cover, the track list and release date.[8] [9] On July 8, one month before the album release, the band unveiled the fourth single "Trap God".[10] [11] On March 1, 2023, the band released the fifth single "Evil" while also announcing the deluxe edition of the album which is set for release on April 28.[12] On March 29, the band premiered the sixth single "Salvation".[13] On April 25, the band published the seventh single "House of Mirrors" featuring Jelly Roll along with a music video.[14]
Critical reception
The album received mostly positive reviews from critics. Writing for Louder Sound, Nik Young calls the album "...an honest, confident and catchy release that winds up oddly hard to resist." New Noise gave the album 4 out of 5 and stated: "All in all, Hotel Kalifornia is an outstanding piece of work that is sure to keep fans entertained the whole way through." Wall of Sound gave the album a score 7/10 and saying: "While Hotel Kalifornia probably isn't going to win over any new fans, it is a consistently fresh addition of their bouncy nu-metal style that'll have you up on your feet as you crank up the volume to the limit. If you've enjoyed their previous albums, there's a pretty good chance of you giving this a go on your weekend drives outta town."
Track listing
Notes
- Track 1 is stylized in all caps.
Personnel
Hollywood Undead
- Jorel "J-Dog" Decker – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, composition
- Dylan "Funny Man" Alvarez – vocals, composition
- George "Johnny 3 Tears" Ragan – vocals, bass, composition
- Jordon "Charlie Scene" Terrell – vocals, guitars, composition
- Daniel "Danny" Murillo – vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars, bass, composition
Additional musicians
- Greg Garman – drums
- Jelly Roll – guest vocals on track 20
Additional personnel
- No Love for the Middle Child – production
- Drew Fulk – production, composition on track 1
- Erik Ron – production, composition on track 7
- Andrew Migliore – production, composition on track 7
- Zakk Cervini and Chris Athens – engineering
- Michael Futterer – composition
Charts
Notes and References
- Web site: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD Announces 'Hotel Kalifornia' Album. Blabbermouth.net. June 8, 2022. August 12, 2022. June 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220622170228/https://blabbermouth.net/news/hollywood-undead-announces-hotel-kalifornia-album. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Have Announced The Details Of Their New Album 'Hotel Kalifornia'. Rock Sound. June 8, 2022. August 12, 2022. August 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220813003233/https://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/hollywood-undead-have-announced-the-details-of-their-new-album-hotel-kalifo. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Kicks Off Work on Eighth Studio Album. SCNFDM. September 5, 2021. May 13, 2022. September 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210916150443/https://scnfdm.com/p/hollywood-undead-kicks-off-work-on-eighth-studio-album/. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Drop One of Their Most Aggressive Songs 'Chaos'. Loudwire. February 25, 2022. May 13, 2022. May 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220502235546/https://loudwire.com/hollywood-undead-chaos-lyrics-video/. live.
- News: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD DROP VISUALISER FOR EXPLOSIVE NEW SINGLE "CHAOS". Rock 'N' Load. February 25, 2022. August 12, 2022. May 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220513151420/https://rocknloadmag.com/news/hollywood-undead-drop-visualiser-for-explosive-new-single-chaos/. live.
- News: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD Debuts New Track + Music Video "Wild In These Streets". Rock 'N' Load. April 21, 2022. May 13, 2022. May 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220513151410/https://rocknloadmag.com/news/hollywood-undead-debuts-new-track-music-video-wild-in-these-streets/. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Hand Over The Controller For GTA Inspired Track 'Wild In These Streets'. Wall of Sound. April 20, 2022. August 12, 2022. April 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220422025335/https://wallofsoundau.com/2022/04/20/hollywood-undead-hand-over-the-controller-for-gta-inspired-track-wild-in-these-streets/. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Drop Dark Anthem 'City of the Dead,' Reveal New Album Details. Loudwire. June 8, 2022. June 8, 2022. June 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220608171034/https://loudwire.com/hollywood-undead-city-of-the-dead-lyrics-hotel-kalifornia-album/. live.
- News: HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD Shares Music Video For 'City Of The Dead'. Blabbermouth.net. July 7, 2022. August 12, 2022. July 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220717164038/https://blabbermouth.net/news/hollywood-undead-shares-music-video-for-city-of-the-dead. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Premiere "Trap God". ThePRP. July 7, 2022. July 8, 2022. July 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220708065025/https://www.theprp.com/2022/07/07/news/hollywood-undead-premiere-trap-god/. live.
- News: Hollywood Undead Bounce In with 'Trap God'. Wall of Sound. July 11, 2022. August 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712221234/https://wallofsoundau.com/2022/07/11/hollywood-undead-bounce-in-with-trap-god/. live.
- Web site: Hollywood Undead Debut "Evil" Music Video From Upcoming Deluxe Edition Of "Hotel Kalifornia". ThePRP. March 1, 2023. March 2, 2023.
- Web site: Hollywood Undead Premiere "Salvation". ThePRP. March 29, 2023. March 29, 2023.
- Web site: Hollywood Undead Share Video For 'House Of Mirrors' Featuring Jelly Roll. Rock Sound. April 26, 2023. April 26, 2023.
- Web site: Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. August 19, 2022. August 20, 2022.
- Web site: Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. August 19, 2022. August 20, 2022.