Queens of the Summer Hotel

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.

Queens of the Summer Hotel
Studio album by Aimee Mann
Released	November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05)
Recorded	2021
Studio	United Recording
Genre	Folk
Length	40:20
Label	SuperEgo
Producer	Paul Bryan
Aimee Mann chronology
Mental Illness (2017) Queens of the Summer Hotel (2021)
Singles from Queens of the Summer Hotel
"Suicide Is Murder" Released: August 6, 2021 "Burn It Out" Released: September 24, 2021 "I See You" Released: October 29, 2021

The album's release was preceded by the first single, "Suicide Is Murder" on 6 August 2021.^[2]

The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics.^[3]

Writing

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.^[4][5] The musical was to be produced by Barbara Broccoli and Frederick Zollo, but was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

Mann spoke to Rolling Stone about the inspiration behind the album's first single, "Suicide is Murder": “I started to write this song because I’ve known people who committed suicide and friends who’ve had loved ones die from suicide. I think the phrase ‘suicide is murder’ took on a meaning for me as it’s the worst thing to have to deal with in the aftermath. It’s just terrible. Because every person who knows the person who committed suicide will blame themselves in some way for not noticing or stepping in or doing something. They’ll till the end of their days, say, ‘was there something I could have done?’"^[7]

The album title was inspired by an Anne Sexton poem.^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
The A.V. Club	B[9]
Riff	6/10[10]

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".^[8] The site also featured this as one of the best albums of 2021.^[11] 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."^[9]

Track listing

Queens of the Summer Hotel track listing

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.

Personnel

Credits for Queens of the Summer Hotel adapted from Tidal.^[12]

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

Charts

Chart performance for Queens of the Summer Hotel

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13]	53
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[14]	18