While most of us hosted chill backyard BBQs and lounged about lazily under the hot August sun, indie rock outfit Empires spent the summer building a sizable little kingdom of their own.
After getting their start playing venues across their hometown of Chicago, they ventured out of state for a slot at Bonnaroo and an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman. In June, they teamed up with producer John Congleton (Swans, St. Vincent) for a new EP entitled How Good Does It Feel, anchored by the standout tracks “Hostage” and “Please Don’t Tell My Lover”. Now, they’re currently prepping their next full-length: Entitled Orphan, it’s due out September 23rd.
In anticipation, Empires have shared lead single “Honeyblood”, which finds the band expanding their intricate brand of brooding post-rock. Throughout the verses, frontman Sean Van Vleet’s mournful croon sounds quite distinct from the rest of the band, as if he’d been pulled off of some old bossa nova record. However, every emotion and strand of noise come crashing together by the time they reach the chorus: The mourning quickly turns into a full-on erratic assault led by guitarist Tom Conrad’s blistering, sonic assault. The emotions run quite heavy throughout the track, almost as much as the layers of blaring guitars.
Listen in below.
Pre-orders are now ongoing.
Orphan Tracklist
01. Silverfire
02. Orphan
03. Hostage
04. Shadowfaux
05. Honeyblood
06. Lifers
07. How Good Does It Feel
08. Please Don’t Tell My Lover
09. Stay Lonely
10. Glow
11. Journey Kid
