"Jenkintown’s New Motels write songs with such attention to detail that the lyric sheet becomes something to treasure. Luckily, there’s one included in their Domestic Life EP, just released by Scranton’s Prison Jazz label. Postcollege anxieties arise in “West Coast Brawl,†and likewise the exquisite drag of suffering through your 20s is captured by the title track and the Big Star-ish “Modern Thinker.†Leader Josh Levandoski sings calmly over the band’s twangy pop, which remains sunny despite his looming worries. It’s mostly a slow-burning record until the closing “Drama of the Hollywood Scene†stirs up vivid imagery that could’ve been inspired by Annie Hall. That’s a big complement, by the way." Doug Wallen, Philadelphia Weekly
"In the simplest terms possible, New Motels is the perfect blending of folk-rock and power pop. Two genres from opposite ends of the spectrum come together in a state of perfect balance. Songs like "Modern Thinker" and the title cut pull you in with their warm acoustic-laden backdrops and fetching melodies. As the disc plays on the arrangements get looser, but the harmonies remain. And just when you think the boys are getting lost in classic rock territory, they shock us back to the present with the snappy instant gratification of closing cut "Drama of the Hollywood Scene."" Mike Evans, Diamond City
"For the past few years now, Scranton’s Prison Jazz Records has been releasing some of the better indie rock from the region, such as The A-Sides, The Sw!ms and Okay Paddy. You can now add Jenkintown's The New Motels to that list. Although this foursome has been plugging along since 2003, the band had yet to release anything as promising as Domestic Life, an EP that dropped a few months back. Wilco comparisons have been abundant, and more or less accurate, which can really never be a bad thing. Less quirky and not as overtly pop as some of their better known label mates, The New Motels are the darkhorse of the Prison Jazz imprint." Joe Simek, Philly Edge
"So, Jenkintown ain't a dusty hill out West. And singers Josh Levandoski and Adam Vinson aren't Cali-Canyon-eers. But if the cinnamon-dipped twang of "A Thousand Isles" and the disdainful lyrical look at the "Drama of the Hollywood Scene" doesn't make them honorary Topangians, I'll eat my "Rust Never Sleeps" tour T-shirt." A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia City Paper
"The Philadelphia four-piece is quite the fun little pop band, slinging buoyant and twangy pop-rock songs that fall somewhere between Elephant Six and Wilco. Leadoff track "Modern Thinker" mixes fuzzy pop with honky-tonk riffs, while the title track is a jangling standout of soaring guitar chords and sweetly layered vocals. "West Coast Brawl" is not the skull-crusher of a song you might expect it to be, but rather a bluesy acoustic song that's among the quieter moments on the record. The aforementioned "Drama of the Hollywood Scene" ends the EP with vigor, borrowing the breakdown from "Space Oddity" as its intro before surging into peppy distorted pop that would make Robert Schneider proud." Jeff Terich, Treble Zine
the DOMESTIC LIFE EP
is now available here.
