Artist You Should Know: Empress Of

Much like her past label mate Shamir, Lorely Rodriguez aka Empress Of represents a vital new voice and perspective in the world of electronic music.

Let’s start with the fact that Rodriguez wrote, produced, engineered, and recorded the entirety of her forthcoming debut record, Me. Then consider the content and impeccably thoughtful production on the two singles we’ve heard thus far.

The first single, “Water Water,” has been amongst my most played songs of 2015 since it came to my attention in early May. It’s lyrics were inspired by a recent trip Rodriguez took to Mexico, which made her reexamine her relationship to water as a resource. But despite the heady subject matter the melody and the beats are ethereal and engrossing; music for dance floors that must exist somewhere, but are sadly far to scarce for me to have ever experienced personally.

Second single “Kitty Kat” is decidedly less dance floor ready, but certainly no less enthralling. The recently released video reveals the lyrics (which are very probably about catcalling) as written over a series of postcards, and diary entries. It’s a perfect entry point to an artist who is taking the personal is political approach to songwriting in a very exciting direction.

She’s collaborated on stage in the past with such KCRW favorites as Ezra Koenig, and Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), and this fall she’ll join spiritual forebears Purity Ring for a run of European dates. If, however, you’re reading this in Los Angeles then you can catch her on August 21st for a show with Lower Dens at The Echo.

Me is set for release on September 11th via Terrible Records.