Empires Are Feeling Very Good Indeed
Sharp, creative and bringing a commendable freshness to the sometimes drearily derivative world of contemporary rock, Empires are a remarkably good rock ‘n’ roll band.
In a world full of faceless, regurgitated rhythms and emotion-by-numbers, the band’s music is strikingly compact, precise and non-excessive: There is a there there, and there are no wasted notes anywhere.
In Yahoo’s neck of the woods shortly before the release of their new EP How Good Does It Feel—out this week and fine indeed—Empires gave us all a taste of some of the music that will later be populating their major label debut Orphan, out later this year on the Chop Shop/Island Records label.
Though they’ve been around in some form or another for a few brief years, the Chicago-based band has never had so much momentum, and this will likely be their year. This week they made their national television debut on Late Night With David Lettermen, and they’ve made friends galore on the festival circuit , as their recent Bonnaroo appearance amply proved. They’ll be around in lots more places, so watch for them.
Consisting of Sean Van Vleet, Tom Conrad, Max Steger and Mike Robinson, Empires are a young, powerful band who leave a distinctly positive impression wherever they play. Their music is some of this year’s very best—and you can see that for yourself via the marvelous performances in the Yahoo studios. Check out the How Good Does It Feel EP, watch for the upcoming Orphan album, and get ready to hear lots more about Empires.