Motel Breakfast’s latest release, I Promise I’m Having Fun, is a melodic, introspective album that deftly encapsulates the throws of living through your twenties. Its 11 tracks are free and high-spirited, with lyrics crafted to capture the quarter-life era with poetic humor and resonating melodies.
Born from the minds of Jimmy Denovsky (vocals and guitar), Mick O’Donnell (lead guitar), Conor Brennan (keys), Drue deVente (bass), and Jesse Nasadowski (drums), I Promise I’m Having Fun brings together the best pieces of this group to compose an album that blends indie and jazz influences with Bruce Springsteen’s energy.
The album opens with “The Call,” a five-and-a-half-minute impassioned track that starts as a piano ballad and then cascades into an energetic hit— setting a powerful tone for the album from the outset. “So Long,” “Rhonda (NYE),” and “Lit A Match” follow and are among the groovier tracks off the album, seemingly built from the band’s mix of indie and jazz influences.
The track “MB (as In Modern Baseball),” an ode to the popular Philly alt emo band, is a reflective track with lyrics that offer a spark of hope amidst the challenges of growth and self-discovery.
“I am trying to wash the dirt off my hands, but I’m not doing so well / I’ve been looking for direction, but the signs keep pointing back to hell / I’ve been staring at every map, I’ve been looking towards every screen / I’ve been washing my hands all damn day, I just gotta get them clean.”
“Wonder Year” is a track anyone transitioning into a new stage of life can relate to. Dedicated to adjusting to new stages in life and friendships, it easily shines as a favorite off of the album. As the album comes to a close, “Suite: Learning To Live” acts an electrifying and anthemic conclusion across its seven minutes.
All around, I Promise I’m Having Fun is filled with soul-searching ballads, an eclectic interlude, and playful tracks that will have anyone shouting their lyrics from their soul. Undoubtedly the band’s most accomplished work to date, it’s an album that will have everyone singing with their heads out of their cars on the highway this summer.
You can listen to the album here.
