In Review: Pottery - Welcome to Bobby's Motel

The debut from the Montreal happy-go-lucky post-punks proves that wherever Bobby’s Motel is, it’s most certainly the place to stay.

Posted: 6 July 2020 Words: William Lewis

Pottery gained some much-deserved attention last year with their debut EP No. 1, and rightly so, it was one of the most exciting of the year. This success helped them to book slots and tour with the likes of Parquet Courts and label mates Fontaines D.C. – some very good company. Off the back of that the Montreal-based quintet have released their debut album Welcome to Bobby’s Motel, and it’s as energetic, excitable and enjoyable as you could imagine. The record fuses punk, disco and funk under an avant-garde, art-rock sound that sends you on a frenetic journey and into the weird (and wonderful) world of Bobby and Pottery.

Kicking off with the title track, a largely instrumental number with some distorted vocals gives up a brief insight in what is to come; thunderous rolling drums acquainted with a funky bass line and wiry guitars, you’re gripped and taken into the world of Bobby and his motel. Recent single ‘Hot Heater’ bursts into life with a disco infused, Talking Heads-inspired track that is undoubtedly one of the records highlights.

The band continue this tireless and enjoyable assault in ‘Under the Wires’, ‘Bobby’s Forecast’ and ‘Down in the Dumps’ before ‘Reflection’ sees a drop in pace. Nonetheless the serenity of and break from the frenzied energy in the latter is soon countered by a “Texas Drums Part, Pt I & II” – essentially a 6-minute ode to loud drums. After the hypnotic gang cries of “Won’t you play those funky drums for me” alongside roaring drums, quaint guitars and absorbing bass lines, you find yourself in a psychedelic party which completely immerses you into Bobby’s Motel.

Amidst all the fun, they do take on some serious issues. ‘Hot Heater’ has some environmental undertones, whilst ‘Take Your Time’ alludes to issues of substance abuse and the dark side of recreational drug taking. “When you found a new habit (No more life) / When you've lost all possessions (No pride)” lead man Austin Boylan cries in the opening verse of a track that has echoes of Television and Gang of Four.

The stay at Bobby’s Motel comes to a calming end with the tongue-in-cheek love song ‘Hot Like Jungle’. After the peak of the madness, it’s a euphonious end to an album that, despite some distractions, fuses its manic energy with a complete direction amongst its many genres. The chaotic air of anarchy is in complete control throughout Welcome to Bobby’s Motel and the fun they had recording it resonates throughout an infectious 40 mins in which there never seems to be a second lost or gone to waste; you’re thrust into the world of Pottery and Bobby from the outset of every single track. Wherever Bobby’s Motel is, it’s most certainly the place to stay.