Live Review: Empress Of 'Kitty Kat'

Lorely Rodriguez's debut album is shaping up to be one of the most diverse listens of 2015. So if you're not already on board, this is your last chance to get to know EMPRESS OF, before I can call you a fool.

The Latin-American has been kicking goals across NYC since I last spoke about her last single 'Water Water'. A track I called "my perfect version of a ‘banger'" and "upbeat and dance oriented. You can feel the blissful dream-pop tendencies in the way the synths whirl and the vocal samples bounce around drenched in reverb." Since then she's had multiple residencies across NYC, performed at MOMA and hung at with the legends from Terrible Records as well as people like Dev Hynes and Chrome Sparks. She's also just announced the details of her debut LP...

Entitled Me, the debut Empress Of album, will be out in early September. Before then Rodriguez has gifted the world, 'Kitty Kat' - single number two from the album.

Although I prefaced that this one was going to sound different, don't expect this to be any less heavy. Massive sludgy bass thuds are once again the backing, but the dance beat isn't here. What is, is shimmering synths and percussion - not overpowering, just there to create walls of sound that slide in and out of the falsetto-esque vocals of Rodriguez.

It may not be a number you can dance to, but there is heaps of depth here. From the intelligent mechanical instrumentation to the dark and confronting lyrical content. Empress Of isn't fucking around, this isn't just some light fun electro - it's deep songwriting, reflecting on personal and global issues. Soundtracked to something pretty fun.

Me is out September 11 via XL Recordings/Terrible Records.

Words by Tom Hutchins

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO:

EMPRESS OF ‘WATER WATER’

LISTEN: LE1F ‘BOOM’