Mary Lattimore’s fifth album is set for release Oct. 6 and is now available for pre-order. The new album features six original tracks that the artist describes as reflections on the passage of time and the changing world around her. “When I think of these songs, I think about fading flowers in vases, melted candles, getting older, being on tour and having things change while you’re away, not realizing how ephemeral experiences are until they don’t happen anymore, fear for a planet we’re losing because of greed, an ode to art and music that’s really shaped your life that can transport you back in time, longing to maintain sensitivity and to not sink into hollow despondency,” Lattimore says.
The album’s title, Goodbye, Hotel Arkada, is an allusion to these “ephemeral experiences.” Lattimore was inspired by an old hotel on the island of Hvar in Croatia. “I walked around the lobby and the empty ballrooms and it looked like a well-worn, well-loved place,” she says. “My friend Stacey who lives there told me to ‘say goodbye to Hotel Arkada, it might not be here when you get back,’ and I heard soon after that it was actually going to be renovated in a very crisp, modern way.” Lattimore says her album reflects the need to notice and savor our experiences before change inevitably comes.
Check out our cover interview with Lattimore in the July/August 2020 issue of Harp Column. The album is available for pre-order on Bandcamp.
