Hotel Lux have confirmed their sophomore album, The Bitter Cup, will arrive on October 31st. This announcement coincides with details for an extensive UK winter tour and the release of their new single, “Costermonger.” Their 2023 debut, Hands Across The Creek, earned widespread critical acclaim and BBC 6Music airplay. “Costermonger” serves as the latest sharp piece of social commentary from a band that’s recently rediscovered its identity.
Of the single, the band state,
Costermonger is a musical translation of a BBC documentary detailing the rise and the fall of Deptford Market, High Street and the surrounding housing. The title itself refers to a Cockney word for a market trader. Sadly, the subject matter of the lyrics are as relevant now as they would’ve been back in ‘67 when Lewisham council first started pulling down the council housing.
For The Bitter Cup, Hotel Lux took on self-production duties at Big Jelly Studios, a choice guitarist Sam Coburn described as “completely natural, but also entirely necessary.” Guitarist Max Oliver added, “If you can’t trust yourselves, who can you?” The album, a fully collaborative effort recorded live to capture their intense stage presence, showcases the band at both their most vulnerable and most confident, reflecting significant personal and musical growth.
The band’s journey has been marked by notable moments, from their early single “The Last Hangman” appearing in Peaky Blinders to Thomas Brodie-Sangster starring in the video for “Ballad of You & I” from their 2020 debut EP. Known for their pinpoint energy live, Hotel Lux has a strong track record of sold-out European headline tours and support slots for acts like Shame and The Chats. This new album and tour mark the beginning of their next exciting chapter.
