Hotel Lux – The Bitter Cup

After spending 2024 wrestling with that classic second album syndrome, Hotel Lux have returned, having finally pinned writer’s block down on the mat. Named after a Billy Childish song that inspired the band’s formation, The Bitter Cup is a rough and ready LP that marks a new creative direction for the five-piece.

Hotel Lux’s well-received debut, Hands Across the Creek, was laced with politically charged vitriol, and fans will be relieved to hear that the band refuse to shy away from tackling tricky topics on their second full-length offering. From Costermonger, a musical interpretation of a BBC documentary about the fall of Deptford Market, to Another One Gone, a lament for those the band have lost to suicide, The Bitter Cup reflects myriad issues in contemporary British society onto the listener.

Written largely in the backroom of a Peckham pub and recorded in just four days, The Bitter Cup is Hotel Lux’s first entirely self-produced project. Now armed with the assistance of multi-instrumentalist Dillon Home, album two signifies the dawning of an exciting new era. Though some moments fail to leave a lasting dent, The Bitter Cup is a refined project that marks a clear departure from the lad-friendly exuberance often present in Hotel Lux’s early work.

Listen to: Joy, Another One Gone, Nod (To The Retrospect)