Safe to say, this year we’ll be on the receiving end of a lot of releases that were shelved in the hope that the pandemic would end sooner or later – or due to pressing plants unable to keep up with demand. Take Sunset Motel, the sophomore record by Columbus (Ohio) indie rockers El Camino Acid. Sunset Motel was recorded in the Summer of 2020, and it’s such an accomplished and confident record, I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for the band to wait so long to release it.
El Camino Acid see themselves as garage rockers with a love for power pop. I would place them in the indie rock bin though, although their love for power pop definitely shines through – listen to Get Along and Mirror Mirror for example. I also sense a touch of americana in some of their songs. Sunset Motel was recorded by Twin Peaks multi-instrumentalist Colin Croom, and while the two are decidedly different bands, El Camino Acid kind of has a similar vibe as Twin Peaks, particularly in the more laid-back tracks.
One word that keeps coming up when I listen to Sunset Motel: Solid. This is not the kind of record that will shatter your world. But, it’s hard to find fault with it. It’s well executed, it has plenty of variation and swagger, and it rocks. Sunset Motel is out now, self-released on Sunset Orange Vinyl and available on the band’s website.