Heartbreak might fuel the hurricane of emotion that rampages throughout Empress Of‘s new EP Save Me, but she does not succumb to it. Instead, with its dance-hall sonics and rapt electronica, the four-song collection offers an alternative to the end of a relationship.
One that begins with the ecstatic and profound celebratory anthemics of the EP title track, “Save Me.” But instead of a power ballad or moody bass-thumper, Empress Of cuts through the bullshit stating in no uncertain terms exactly what she needs from a partner, all to the dizzying glitz of shrieking electronics.
Across Save Me the eclectic inspirations of Empress Of burst forth — from Cocteau Twins experimentation, Björk‘s howlings, to Robyn‘s colossal electricity. As on both “Dance for You” and “Kept Up” the EP is a soundscape molded out of her creation of bass-heavy, delirium-soaked dance anthems.
It’s the kind of album you flip on to sweat out the heartbreak, a cathartic lightning-bolt of giddy, sensory-numbing vibrations and stunning synths that leave you anything but broken. Even on the EPs final track “Cry for Help” the songs never focus on the person lost but rather its effect on her — and a lot of that comes from Empress Of wanting to focus on herself. Especially when in the throes of such heartache.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to write any more songs about him. I’m gonna write a song about the next guy,’” Empress Of said of the EP. “It’s me thinking about that next guy and how he can be all the things my last lover wasn’t. And it’s me thinking about if I can be better.”
Words: Steven Ward
Empress Of will be going on tour in support of Carly Rae Jepsen with a date at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on October 18.
Visit Empress Of’s website, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Listen to Empress Of’s new EP Save Me below!
Empress Of Tour
8/6 – San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands
9/24 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS*
9/26 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner*
9/28 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall*
9/29 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem*
10/1 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia*
10/2 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa*
10/4 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre*
10/5 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern*
10/9 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall*
10/10 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom*
10/12 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom*
10/14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Event Center*
10/15 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas*
10/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre*
10/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre*
10/20 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Arlington Theatre*
10/21 – Berkeley, VA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley*
10/23 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater*
10/26 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo*
10/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre*
11/2 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee*
11/4 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater*
11/5 – Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom*
11/18 – Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital
*= suporting Carly Rae Jepsen
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