Exclusive track premiere of ‘Lost In A Hotel Room’ by singer-songwriter David McGlynn, taken off his forthcoming album, ‘Life’s Moments’.

The song, entitled ‘Lost in a Hotel Room’, features David on vocals, Brandon Coleman on guitars and keyboards, Jeff Mellott on drums, Matt Wiles on bass, and Liz Wooley on backing vocals.

There are those songs that can almost teleport us back to a physical location. We have the memory of the places we’ve been tucked inside some storage closet in the back of our brains, and songs can help us access those distant, fading memories. David McGlynn’s newest single, ‘Lost In A Hotel Room’, is an earnest, ear-catching attempt at keeping those memories in the forefront of our minds.

McGlynn has had a career of highlights, both as a solo artist, a member of Boston-based indie rock outfit emetrex, and even before in post-punk band Blair’s Carriage. Opening for bands like Sea & Cake, Counting Crows, and Tears for Fears, McGlynn has seen his fair share of glory. And his songwriting shows all the trappings of someone who’s been in the game and learned many lessons.

Not only will ‘Lost In A Hotel Room’ have you racking your brain for your favorite overnight memories, but the song will have you yearning for the days of carefree, late 90s radio. The soaring, delayed guitar leads that populate the song will have you thinking of The Cranberries or U2. It’s a warm, enthralling sound – inviting you into McGlynn’s private memories.

McGlynn recalls, “I love hotels. Everything about them. At one point in my life, I spent lots of time in hotels.” And from that time, he has taken four specific memories to construct the lyrics of this song. It’s this vulnerability that truly makes the song. All of us simultaneously reckon with and celebrate our pasts. And McGlynn walks that line flawlessly in this single.

Even though it’s cold outside, ‘Lost In A Hotel Room’ can’t help but bring some summer warmth. It’s big, open sound juxtaposes with its intimate lyrics to make a memorable listening experience. Take a chance on this single, and look forward to the forthcoming full-length ‘Life’s Moments’.

Listen to ‘Lost In A Hotel Room’ and stick around for an exclusive interview below!

What is it exactly about hotel rooms that excites you?

David McGlynn: Honestly, there is so much that I enjoy about them. I simply love hotels.

It means that I am on an adventure. Every time I stay in a hotel room, it means that I am out of my everyday routine. And regardless of the reason, whether it’s a three-day work trip or a once-in-a-lifetime vacation (to places like Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat), I’m somewhere different; out of my normal situation or circumstances. It’s always given me an opportunity to explore a different part of the world, to see and experience new things and meet new people. Earlier in my life, having new experiences meant everything to me.

I also learned that hotels offer an endless variety of experiences. Sometimes it’s all about the surrounding landscape. The picturesque views, the proximity to an ocean or a mountain. Sometimes it’s about staying in a certain part of a city to have proximity to something cool. Or it’s getting an opportunity to overindulge, having an overpriced, one-of-a-kind, hand-made cocktail at a world-renowned hotel bar or a dinner by an up-and-coming chef, at a five-star hotel restaurant. And the great thing is, there are all kinds of different experiences in every city in the world. And the interesting people you meet!

I also have a soft spot for historic hotels. I have come to love historic hotels… with all the quirky architecture and eccentric stories. Some are haunted. Some have crazy histories. All are amazing. I stay at them whenever I can, whenever I can afford them. To date, I have stayed at over 20 of them around the country.

I’ve watched the duck parade at the Peabody in Memphis, seen breath-taking views at sunset on the trails at Mohonk Mountain House, and even proposed to my wife and got married at the Harborview Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard in Edgartown, MA, a hotel frequented by celebrities including Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, and Katherine Hepburn, and later, President Bill Clinton.

At one point in my career, when I was traveling almost weekly for work, the variety of hotels I stayed at, was wild… yes, the five-star, historic ones, occasionally, and certainly the standard Marriott was common, but I even stayed at the rundown, on the side of the highway, by the hour, ones. In fact, looking over a list of the 100 largest cities by population, I realized that I’ve stayed at hotels in 19 of the top 20 cities, 42 out of the top 50, and 70 of the top 100.

And in each of these moments, I took as much time as I had, to have as many experiences as possible. I’ve walked through the arty neighborhoods, ate at local restaurants, and visited the tourist attractions and museums. All with a camera and journal in hand.

In fact, in about a 10-to-12-year period, I visited 49 of the 50 states. And that gave me an incredibly unique opportunity to meet so many different people, from across our country with such different points of view, beliefs, and ideas. It exposed me to all kinds of things that I never would have had the chance to experience, all making me the person I am today.

And as one more note of interest about hotels, there was a point in my life when I thought I wanted to live in hotels full time. That’s right, no house, apartment, or condo, just hotels. And, during a breakup, I actually lived in a hotel for a month.

And as all of these experiences filled my personal journals, I came home with so many different perspectives – always more open, empathetic, and curious about the things I experienced, the people I met, and the conversations I had. These conversations, I call them “conversations of significance,” have significantly changed my life; the way I view the world and the people around me. I am extremely grateful for all of my experiences.

“‘Lost In a Hotel Room’ is created around the memories of four, real-life moments I had with individuals in hotel rooms.”

Do you feel like the transitory nature of our time in those rooms makes for powerful memories?

‘Lost In a Hotel Room’ is created around the memories of four, real-life moments I had with individuals in hotel rooms.

For me, it’s not so much the transitory nature of our time in hotel rooms that makes for the powerful memories, but the depth of emotions, connection, and experiences I shared with the person I was with, in these intimate moments… and then the place, in this case, a hotel room, became a catalyst to the memory of the original experience.

In these experiences, I had these unforgettable moments. These very passionate, intimate moments. Joyful moments with individuals I really connected with. They all happened to take place in hotel rooms.

As I thought about it, I wanted to write a song that shared these experiences; find a way to connect to these universal experiences we all share, but at the same time, convey a real sense of personal intimacy.

I want the listener to be able to feel as though they are in the moment… and at the same time, by taking them there, have them remember their own “hotel” moment, whatever it happens to be.

It was actually jarring and really surprising to sing this song in front of others the first few times I did it. I realized how personal and intimate it really was and initially, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to share…

Could you talk about the recording process for this single? Did it come together pretty naturally, or was it a struggle finding the right arrangement for the song?

I am a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player at heart. I am also a noodler/tinkerer by nature, so every song goes through a somewhat lengthy process; some are more of a “struggle” than others. People who work with me definitely need to have patience and an open mind.

At the beginning of every recording project, I always have this internal debate about which direction to take my songs… fully produced or stripped-down acoustic? Do I add several layered, complementing, melodic parts or let the melody speak for itself? Can I do both? What’s best for the song? What is my vision for each song?

Even for ‘Life’s Moments’, my original concept was to do a largely acoustic record with only an acoustic guitar, violin, upright bass, and drums, adding a simple vocal. It ended up being a fully produced studio record with strings, keyboards, and melodic guitar solos.

Specifically, with ‘Hotel’, I had recorded on a previous release, so I thought I had a good idea of what I wanted to do with the song. Initially, I thought I would add guitar riffs and layered, melody lines to compliment the main vocal melody. I wanted the song to have more energy overall.

Of course, once we get into the studio and start the process, the songs take on a life of their own… I always have ideas for how I would like my songs to sound and share those ideas with the musicians I am working with but given the high skill and creativity of the musicians I collaborate with; I give them a lot of room to improvise and add their own ideas to the songs.

We definitely had a healthy back and forth, recording new bass parts, adding Liz’s backing vocals, and Brandon and I would trade texts on more guitars, fewer guitars, and all different kinds of keyboard parts. “Hotel” certainly took a few weeks to get right.

Honestly, I love the back-and-forth process of recording. Each version is a new surprise for me. From recording through mixing, every time I get a new version back, I think to myself, will this one, be the ONE? Often the litmus test for when a song is done is when I cry tears of joy listening to the finished song in my headset. The final versions of songs still can surprise me.

Do the other songs on the upcoming album Life’s Moments sound like the two singles you’ve released so far? What can we expect from the record?

I would say that ‘Life’s Moments’ offers the listener a variety of different song styles. I describe it as a sonic soundtrack complete with layers of melodic guitar and keyboard textures, string orchestration, and lyric themes around relationships, connections to nature, and God.

For me, my new songs draw comparisons to Peter Bradley Adams, Tears for Fears, Matt Nathanson, John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, the Counting Crows, and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

There are a handful of songs on the record that sound like the first two singles: melodic, upbeat songs, featuring jangly guitars, a variety of keyboard parts, and guitar solos.

But, along with the alt-pop, the record has moments of trippy soundscapes, soundtrack-type stuff – layers of keyboards, strings, and woodwind parts; ready to transport you to your happy place.

Other moments feature thoughtful instrumentals, showcasing acoustic guitars, violin, upright bass, and piano, perfect for moments of contemplation.

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