On their new EP, Headphones, the Los Angeles-based duo Motel 7 have decided to bet everything on first instinct. Fleeing second thoughts and well-considered choices, it is precisely the impulse of their inner self that their new release is built on. Anton Khabbaz and Dylan Jagger Lee do not stick to a particular musical genre and experiment with different styles by merging them, from modern alt-pop and tinges of hip-hop accents to the breezy sounds of 2000s indie/alt-rock, consolidating a personal style.
“We literally wrote whatever we felt and what to get off our chests at that exact moment the song was made,” says Motel 7, who acknowledges having shaped each of the songs from a different mood. Their new EP opens with the title track, Headphones, to give way to Things I Hate, turned into an introspective dive into the Los Angeles nightlife scene. Messing With Fire precedes Golden, their most experimental track to date. Everytime brings back guitar tones and drums inspired by 2000s pop-punk bands, while Are We There Yet, the last single from the EP, captures a feeling of escapism in a time where escapism is not only desired but downright essential.

Since they released their Reminder Not To Think Too Much EP in January 2021, Motel 7 has continued to believe that the most important thing about their job is to create a connection between the audience and the music. A personal and own relationship in which each listener can feel whatever they want when listening to their creations. “Nothing else... there is something so beautiful about that concept,” they add. Many of the songs were written virtually in the middle of the pandemic, and now that the health situation has fortunately improved, everything indicates that we will be able to enjoy them live soon.