Latin American artist Empress Of, born Lorely Rodriguez, weaves striking dance-pop with an emotional core to bite into.
Off the bat, Us begins with a descending bass line and walking beat that carries the track ‘Everything To Me’. It has that sticky, modern R&B beat made for pop radio. The trend continues, with Rodriguez dishing out a friendlier sound on tracks like ‘Trust Me Baby’, ‘Love For Me’, and ‘I’ve Got Love’. Sadly, she sheds her once risky compositional edge for safer sounds across Us.
‘When I’m With Him’ is a strikingly beautiful bilingual ballad based on a failing relationship. The entire song is built around a simple drum beat, a pounding piano, and guitars. ‘All For Nothing’ calls back to first album Me. The song has tension that builds and builds. Its retro-futuristic metallic beat is nice along with the guideing spacious synths.
It’s rocky album for Empress Of. Her focus is there but the songs themselves can be too comfortable, a departure from her previous work. However, change is necessary to combat and there’s plenty here to dance to, cry to, and to reflect on.
6.5/10
