We’ve been wondering about Empress Of. What ever happened to her? She caught our attention back in 2012 with her series of mini-releases Colorminutes, and then held it with her debut Double Denim/Terrible Records EP, Systems. But we hadn’t heard anything new from Brooklyn’s Lorely Rodríguez since her awesome single “Realize You” and we were getting a little anxious.
With her new single “Water Water,” she finally ended our wait – and unsurprisingly, it was worth it. According to the press release, the track was written five weeks into a writing retreat in Mexico (seems like everyone’s heading to Mexico for inspiration these days). It’s also the first sneak-peak of her as-yet-untitled debut album (yes!,) out late this summer on Terrible/XL. The techno-tinted song feels connected to “Realize You,” but it’s a lot more straightforward sounding, and ventures in a house direction. You could even say there’s a slight EDM influence here, and that’s not a bad thing at all. On top of the steady beat and the rippling synth sounds, Rodríguez sings about caring for someone who’s changed.