Firecracker People, the newest effort from former Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee’s Hotel Lights, is out now via Bar/None Records. Firecracker People is the group’s first studio album since 2006’s self-titled debut and the subsequent goodnightgoodmorning EP released later that year. Of the latest record, The New York Times writes, “The album’s title track—a tender, piano-driven lament—could ably serve as a soundtrack for any long drive home,” and All Music Guide notes that, “The craft of Firecracker People is nothing short of superb.”

A virtual who’s-who of the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Chapel Hill music scene, Hotel Lights features Jessee backed by band member and producer Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Camper van Beethoven, the Comas), Zeke Hutchins and Jay Brown (both of Tift Merritt’s band).

With singles from their self-titled debut featured on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and in Universal Studios’ Baby Mama, Hotel Lights was tapped to join the likes of Burt Bacharach, Brian Wilson, Taj Mahal, Cornershop, Sonu Nigam and Anoushka Shankar in contributing an original composition to the soundtrack of the upcoming Bollywood-style musical film Basmati Blues. The resulting song became the title track to Firecracker People. Intended to be sung by the characters in the film, the song eventually found its way onto the new record because, as Jessee explains, “the more I listened to the song, the more universal and timely the message sounded to me.”

Jessee cut his teeth in the `90s with Ben Folds Five. His writing credits include the hit single “Brick” and fan favorite “Amelia Bright” (which appears as a studio recording for the first time on Firecracker People). More recently he has been recording and touring heavily with Hotel Lights sharing the stage with like-minded peers Nada Surf, Tift Merritt, Bishop Allen, Jennifer O’Connor and Chris Mills.

For more information, please contact Joe Cohen, Krista Williams or Carla Sacks at
Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, joe.cohen@sacksco.com, krista@sacksco.com or carla@sacksco.com.