Montell Fish got his start making Christian music, and while faith still plays a huge role in his artistry, the Pittsburgh native is pushing his songwriting into exciting new territories. Case in point: “Hotel,” the brand-new single he released last week. The nightmarishly sexy R&B slow burn is currently simmering just outside the Top 20 on the Genius Top Songs chart—and it would probably be doing even better were it not for BLACKPINK’s domination of the tally.
Written and produced by Fish himself, “Hotel” follows the singer-songwriter’s recent album JAMIE, which was inspired by the dissolution of a romance. Fish apparently isn’t out of the woods yet.
“‘Hotel’ is meant to represent the beginning of the next chapter after JAMIE, a kind of post-break-up anger,” he said in a statement. “Instead of soft, ambient guitars, I wanted to contrast it with dark heavy bass and a more rock guitar solo towards the end.”
The song opens with Fish singing almost inaudibly over ringing fuzzed-out guitar chords. According to the Genius lyric transcription, he’s wailing the words, “I’m a slave to her, slave to her love,” and that sounds plausible given the scenario he outlines in the first verse.
When I met you in that hotel room
I could tell that you were so bad news
But I keep messing with ya, messin’ with ya
Fish is trapped in a kind of lusty purgatory. The nasty guitar chords and chilling background melody make it clear that he’s not enjoying himself. And it’s doubtful there’s any real affection between him and the girl.
I keep going back to this hotel room
I just don’t know what the hell to just tell you
But I love messing with ya, messin’ with you
Girl, now you’re messing with me, messin’ with me
In the bridge, the beastly guitars temporarily drop out, and Fish hints that the affair is not purely physical. But that doesn’t make it any healthier.
You know me, girl
Better than I know myself, my love
Hotel hell, ooh, hoo
Fish is content to leave us with this sketch of a story. The second verse is the same as the first, and the only other bit of information he offers comes in the form of a plaintive guitar solo that seems to wind down a series of corridors without ever resolving.
Alongside the release of “Hotel,” Fish announced his first-ever U.S. headlining tour. The trek begins October 28 in Boston and ends in San Francisco on November 20. Fish said that taking his show on the road is like “inviting people into another world.”
You can read all the lyrics to “Hotel” on Genius now.
