Hotel Decor Find Their Shape in the Static on Carousel

The Vancouver collective turns a compact four-song EP into a restless, self-contained statement, balancing new-wave snap, indie-rock drift, and a deliberately scruffy sense of control.

What I keep coming back to on Carousel is how deliberately unsettled it feels. Hotel Decor describe themselves as a Vancouver-based collaborative rock project, and the EP lives up to that idea: four songs across 16:47, with credits shared by Csaba Laszlo and Roberto Angel-Dwyer and the material framed by the band’s own blend of “70s New Wave” and “Cowboy Grunge.” That combination matters, because the record sounds assembled by a band that understands how much friction a song can carry before it loses its hook.

For me, the strongest thing here is the discipline. The title track and “Tv Static” lean into tension while “Your Friends” gives the EP its clearest melodic push. Then “A Strange Night At Dave N Busters (Kiss The Pavement)” stretches out longest, letting the atmosphere widen without bloating the arrangement. Knowing the band produced and engineered the EP themselves only deepens the impression that Carousel is a controlled step forward sharpening an identity until it cuts.

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What was the first spark for Carousel as an EP rather than a single or a full-length?

How did the title track set the emotional and sonic tone for the rest of the record?

“Tv Static” suggests interference and signal loss. What was the idea behind that song?

“Your Friends” feels like the most immediate track on the EP. Was that sense of directness intentional?

“A Strange Night At Dave N Busters (Kiss The Pavement)” is your most expansive title and longest song. What made it the right closer?

How did your self-production shape the final versions of these songs?

What did Csaba Laszlo and Roberto Angel-Dwyer each bring to the writing and arranging process?

Your own description points to influences ranging from 70s New Wave to Cowboy Grunge. How do those reference points meet on Carousel?

Where did you hear the biggest leap in confidence compared with earlier releases?

Did any song on Carousel change dramatically once you started tracking it?

What do you think Carousel reveals about Hotel Decor as a collaborative project right now?