Photo credit: Lindsey Blane 

Following their appearance at the inaugural SXSW Sydney Festival just less than a week ago, Canadian quartet Hotel Mira return with their new album ‘I Am Not Myself’. Their hip-swerving, passionately pop-contorting contemplation of identity sees release through long-time label Light Organ Records.

A lot has changed since the early 2020 release of Hotel Mira’s breakthrough release, Perfectionism. That album’s finely honed and honest take on mental health and personal struggles took the band on their biggest tours yet, building a passionate fandom across North America.

As Hotel Mira’s profile grew, vocalist Charlie Kerr was undergoing a time of transformation himself. Kerr found himself writing the bulk of I Am Not Myself while travelling between Vancouver and his now adopted home of Los Angeles, while the band recorded the album in various studios across British Columbia in Canada alongside producers Adam Kasper (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Ryan Worsley (Fake Shark), Steve Bays (Fur Trade, Hot Hot Heat), Parker Bossley (Fur Trade), Louise Burns, James Younger and more.

While Kerr admits his anxieties over the move bled into his lyrics, he soon realised I Am Not Myself’s mix of autobiography and tragi-comic character portraits likewise reflected a profound loss of self, with the concept of ‘identity’ becoming the connective thread between the album’s 12 tracks.

“I think that there is value to expressing unsavoury things about oneself, and peeling away shame. If this music has a purpose, I think it’s to show people how engulfed by shame we are, and how universal that is to the human experience. By pinpointing my own, hopefully people are more forgiving of theirs.” – CHARLIE KERR, HOTEL MIRA

It’s suggested that I Am Not Myself — its title a key line from lead single ‘Dancing With the Moonlight’ — takes place within various points of an identity crisis. Sometimes, that means breaking free from the social constructs others impose on you (‘Eventually’); other times it means gleefully — perhaps even chaotically — lobotomising yourself while in the throes of young love (‘Fever Pitch’, ‘King of the World’); other times, it means digging for truths through the blurriness of all-night party (‘Dancing With the Moonlight’).

“We set out with the idea of making anthems for aliens — really, really catchy pop songs for outcasted people.” – CHARLIE KERR, HOTEL MIRA

As a special nod to their fans down under, Hotel Mira also share an Australian-exclusive bonus track, ‘Waste Away’. A poignant tribute to those who have experienced domestic abuse, the track explores a topic that hits close to home for far too many people, including members of the band.

“‘Waste Away’ tells the story of Domestic abuse. The tendency to Blame oneself. The confusion and backwards way we justify abusive behaviour. The way things can escalate slowly over time in a way that we don’t recognize until it’s too late. And of course trying to gather the courage to leave a partner and the very real threat of violence if you do. It is a love letter to the courage and resilience of survivors. Myself and close friends included.” – HOTEL MIRA