The musicians behind indie outfits PAWL and ttypes have teamed up for the collaborative concept album MOTEL to be released Spring of 2020. Brothers Paul and Tim Krauss had an unusual childhood to say the very least, they were raised in a Midwest roadside motel and over the last decade they have been composing an album about that experience. It's the stuff of American legends, which begs the question do artistic people create unusual lives or do unusual lives create artists?

There is no doubt that growing up around a small town oasis with recurring guests and an ever changing cast of characters will mold your perceptions of life and the world, and these brothers have put that upbringing to music, beautiful, catchy music. MOTEL is a near hour long summary of the years spent at the motor inn, the people and events that shaped them, and the growth that was forced upon them. It's as much a coming of age story as it is a reflection in later life of the place they called home set to an Indie Pop backdrop that captivates the listeners attention from beginning to end.

The fifteen songs on the album are a sheer delight for anyone that's a fan of Brian Wilson, Ben Folds, T. Rex, Apples In Stereo, Elephant 6 and music that makes your head bop, your toes tap, your hips swing all while wearing a grin. It's also an amazing journey in storytelling as the brothers recount the innocence of childhood, nostalgia for rainy autumn days, weird goings on at a nearby lake, early experiences with women, their own relationship as siblings and an evening of a possible UFO sighting. They also present vignettes on the strange guests they encountered from a wanted criminal to a charlatan preacher to a Vietnam vet with PTSD who hoards newspapers.

The album is filled with singles ready for radio right out of the gate, tunes like "Good Boy Young," "Colorado," and "Captured Light" all of which will punch through your day with sunshine fix. The T. Rex influence on "The Shore," "You're My Brother," and "Jealousy" make for easy rockers to get into that sound like instant classics through nostalgia colored glasses. Meanwhile "Small Town" and "Newspaper Mountains" evoke the best of Ben Folds. That's only half of the album, while the rest will keep you tuned in and your headphones on as the stories of their youth unfold before you.  The lyrics are as captivating as the Indie Pop pastiche that surrounds them, with flawless vocals and layers of harmony.

While Paul and Tim are the main men behind the music they had a little help from their friends in making MOTEL.  Christopher Kennedy (No Volcano, Kingfathand, Colorstore) contributed drums, guitar and bass throughout; Conrad Shock (Conrad Shock and The Noise) laid down some bass, guitar, and banjo; while Dan Julian contributed drums, Sean Maginity played guitar on "Colorado", Jim Rockwood provided drums for "Room 5" and their lead producer, Jupiter Jones helped out with synth, organ, back-up vocals and co-wrote "Room 5" with the brothers.

Check in to MOTEL and check it out, the musical journey through time and space is an amazing one for your ears to behold.  You'll find yourself singing these songs to yourself, days later and that's when you know you need to spin it again.