Whiskey in the Pines Find Beauty in Loneliness in 'Hotel Bar'

A hotel bar is a lonely place — but there's beauty in that, not to mention a strange sense of camaraderie. Whiskey in the Pines channel those emotions in their new song "Hotel Bar," premiering exclusively on The Boot.

Written by Whiskey in the Pines vocalist and guitarist David Lareau, who co-produced the song with Noel Hartough, "Hotel Bar" began — where else? — in a hotel bar. Lareau was on vacation in Orlando, Fla., for a wedding when he found himself mentally humming the song's melody and scribbling its lyrics onto a bar napkin.

"I was standing on this porch outside of this beautiful hotel bar and was immediately transported back to being on tour," Lareau recalls. "Looking at all the faces, some people you could tell were just talking to each other for the first time; others just made solace with their drink, occasionally looking up at the TV.

"Everyone there had their own story and own reason for being there," he adds, "but yet all shared the same thing in common: They were passing time while being at some place other than home."

In addition to Lareau — who signed his first record deal at the age of 19 and has been making music for more than two decades — the Tallahassee-based Whiskey in the Pines are guitarist Kelly Chavers, bassist Aaron Halford and drummer Erik Wutz. The band released their debut EP in 2018 and recently recorded a handful of new songs, likely to be released in 2022, per Lareau; they've also got a sort-of Christmas song in the works as well.

"Hotel Bar" is due out widely on Friday (June 23). Visit WhiskeyInThePines.com for more on the band's new music.

Please Enjoy Country's 100 Best Drinking Songs Responsibly: