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Queens of the Summer Hotel is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released on November 5, 2021, on SuperEgo Records.[1] The songs were inspired by Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir Girl, Interrupted.
 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (September 2023) |
| Queens of the Summer Hotel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 5, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2021 | |||
| Studio | United Recording | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 40:20 | |||
| Label | SuperEgo | |||
| Producer | Paul Bryan | |||
| Aimee Mann chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Queens of the Summer Hotel | ||||
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Mann started work on Queens of the Summer Hotel in 2018, when she was commissioned to write songs for a stage adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir Girl, Interrupted. The memoir describes Kaysen's time at McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.[2][3] The musical was to be produced by Barbara Broccoli and Frederick Zollo, but was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
The album title was inspired by an Anne Sexton poem.[2] The album was announced on August 6, 2021, with the release of the first single, "Suicide Is Murder".[5]
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The A.V. Club | B[8] |
| Riff | 6/10[9] |
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that "despite its contemplative nature, Queens of the Summer Hotel looks outward" and "the combination of the airiness of the arrangements and the warmth of Mann's performance is wistfully hopeful, turning Queens of the Summer Hotel into a record that soothes and consoles during moments of uncertainty".[7] The site also featured this as one of the best albums of 2021.[10] Kirsten Lambert from the Chicago Reader wrote, "Mann probes the depths of human experience, addressing some grim subject matter—including suicide, self-immolation, and incest." She concluded that the album "isn't a quick (or easy) listen. This one will stay with you for a while."[1] Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club called it "an unusual (and unusually rewarding) project," writing, "It doesn't have the instant-classic pop of some of her earlier material, but as a more somber, measured collection of music (none of the jangly pop-rock of Charmer to be found here), it's a winner."[8]
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| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Fall" | 3:35 |
| 2. | "Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Give Me Fifteen" | 2:42 |
| 4. | "At the Frick Museum" | 3:03 |
| 5. | "Home by Now" | 1:35 |
| 6. | "Checks" | 0:34 |
| 7. | "Little Chameleon" | 1:44 |
| 8. | "You Don't Have the Room" | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Suicide Is Murder" | 4:14 |
| 10. | "You Could Have Been a Roosevelt" | 2:07 |
| 11. | "Burn It Out" | 2:57 |
| 12. | "In Mexico" | 3:33 |
| 13. | "Check (reprise)" | 0:57 |
| 14. | "You're Lost" | 2:16 |
| 15. | "I See You" | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 40:20 | |
All tracks are written by Aimee Mann
Credits for Queens of the Summer Hotel adapted from Tidal.[11]
Musicians
- Aimee Mann – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Paul Bryan – background vocals, woodwind, strings
- Anna Butterss – bass guitar
- Richard Dodd – cello
- Phillip O'Connor – clarinet
- Sara Andon – flute, alto flute, piccolo
- Danielle Ondarza – horn
- Maya Barrera – oboe
- Jay Bellerose – percussion, trap kit
- Jamie Edwards – piano
- Aidan Lombard – trumpet
- Leah Katz – viola
- Daphne Chan – violin
Technical
- Paul Bryan – production, arrangement, conduction
- Ryan Freeland – engineering, mixing
- Jens Wortmann – cover collage
- Scott Silva – cover photo
- Ed Sherman – design
- Karen Malluk – production coordination
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| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] | 53 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] | 18 |
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