6 Things W/Spirit Hotel

Photo credit: Violent Stag

Spirit Hotel, the project fronted by Leila May Hauck, released their debut Rêve last month. Across its seven songs, the band claims the space between a haunting steady pace and mysterious atmospheres. A place where illusions and reality blur. Am I really here? That’s not what matters. Instead, we sit with it and we listen to the feedback shifting from mysterious to harmonious and back. The tempo often calls for deep reflection and brings focus to Hauck’s lyrics. It’s an examination of the mind. Hauck turns visions into words and makes figures out of the untouchable.

We spoke with Leila about turning dreams into songs, a connection with the Farsifa organ, daily rituals, the producer/artist relationship, dreams, memories and more. 

1/LYRICS

My lyrics are usually my attempt to make something ephemeral tangible. For Rêve, a lot of the imagery in the lyrics is taken from my literal dreams. Sometimes it's retelling the story so that I can make sense of what my subconscious may know that I have yet to consciously learn, and sometimes it's just wrapping words around a feeling.

2/FARSIFA

My love of the Farfisa organ originates with my love of the Murder CIty Devils, as well as a band I discovered later, Jonathan Fire*eater. It sounds kind of eerie and unstable to me and conjures an old horror movie or carnival vibe as much as it gives a psychedelic feel. The way it presents in our music, it's a bit more simplistic and droning but still sounds a little ominous or mysterious, I think. When I was recording my first EP with Jeff Berner, I referenced MCD and my love of the Farfisa organ - Jeff disappeared for a few minutes and when he came back he had one with him.

3/CREATIVE HABITS

I’m not sure if I have creative habits or just superstitions. I’ve been playing one instrument or another since I was 5 years old but I still think of myself as a novice and am a little obsessed with beginner mindset - I almost don’t want to be too technically good or know too much. I tend to jot down ideas or make a short recording on my phone when inspiration strikes and revisit the idea when I have time to sit down and flesh it out. I try to pick up my guitar every single day, even for just a few minutes to see if something interesting comes out - it feels like if it’s a daily ritual there’s less pressure than if I block out a specific, longer stretch of time to  sit down and write.

4/STUDIO ENVIRONMENT

I think the most important aspect of a studio environment for me, is it being a place I’m comfortable to try different ideas, ask questions, and experiment. I didn’t really understand what a producer does in the studio until working with Jeff, and having experienced how integral they can be to actualizing ideas, I think it’s quite valuable to work with a producer who understands where I’m coming from, what my influences and references are, and also what I’m trying to convey. 

5/DREAMS

I've always had vivid dreams and only recently started to really analyze them in a Jungian way. I have recurring dreams about loved ones who live far away from me, often in surreally beautiful far-off feeling environments. I think the elements there are quite literal, just a manifestation of missing them.

6/UNEXPECTED INFLUENCES

I am obsessed with the science of memory and all of memory’s inconsistencies - every time a memory is recalled, it changes a little. As someone who feels like a sum of their life experiences, it’s a weird thing to wrap my head around that I might be fooling myself about how things have gone down. I think part of the human experience is that we all spend a lot of time in our heads and that’s generally a strange place to be (maybe just for me). When I’m writing a song I usually start from a personal perspective but may switch from looking outward to being outside looking in, because I’m second guessing my own ability to be a reliable narrator.

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Rêve is out now via Little Cloud Records and can be purchased on vinyl via Bandcamp. Follow Spirit Hotel on Instagram.

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