Hollywood Undead’s Hotel Kalifornia: rap-metal party starters get serious

Album review: rap-rockers Hollywood Undead fight the trials of modern life on new album Hotel Kalifornia

Hollywood Undead: Hotel Kalifornia album review
(Image: © BMG)

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The eighth album from charismatic rap-rock quintet Hollywood Undead doesn’t stray far from familiar territory. However, inspired by rising homelessness and the cost of living crisis plaguing their native southern California, a dark air shadows the upbeat nature of their music as the vocals switch playfully between raw, rappy and melodic. The influence of producers Erik Ron (Panic! At The Disco), Andrew Migliore (Papa Roach) and Drew Fulk (Lil Wayne, Lil Peep) comes through particularly strongly in tracks like Lion Eyes and Reclaim, while radio-friendly gems like Go To War and Alone At The Top prove particularly memorable. It is an honest, confident and catchy release that winds up oddly hard to resist.