Dork
  • Music News
    • Latest News
    • Album Release Schedule
  • Features
    • Features & Interviews
    • Artist Guides
    • In Photos
  • New Music
    • Hype
    • Hype News
    • Hype Features & Interviews
    • Hype Reviews
  • Playlists
    • Playlists
    • Dork Playlist
    • The Cut
    • Hype
      • Cover Story
      • Hype Playlist
  • Reviews
    • Album & EP Reviews
    • Live Reviews
  • Radio
    • Home
    • Shows
      • Down With Boring
    • Playlist
    • Listen Again
    • Podcast
      • Apple Podcasts
      • Spotify
      • Google Podcasts
      • Stitcher
      • aCast
      • TuneIn
  • Magazine
    • Latest Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Print Subscriptions
    • Print + Digital Subscriptions
  • Shop
  • Supporters
    • Support Dork
    • Supporter Only Content
    • Digital Library
HTML5 RADIO PLAYER PLUGIN WITH REAL VISUALIZER powered by Sodah Webdesign Dexheim
Dork
  • Music News
    • Latest News
    • Album Release Schedule
  • Features
    • Features & Interviews
    • Artist Guides
    • In Photos
  • New Music
    • Hype
    • Hype News
    • Hype Features & Interviews
    • Hype Reviews
  • Playlists
    • Playlists
    • Dork Playlist
    • The Cut
    • Hype
      • Cover Story
      • Hype Playlist
  • Reviews
    • Album & EP Reviews
    • Live Reviews
  • Radio
    • Home
    • Shows
      • Down With Boring
    • Playlist
    • Listen Again
    • Podcast
      • Apple Podcasts
      • Spotify
      • Google Podcasts
      • Stitcher
      • aCast
      • TuneIn
  • Magazine
    • Latest Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Print Subscriptions
    • Print + Digital Subscriptions
  • Shop
  • Supporters
    • Support Dork
    • Supporter Only Content
    • Digital Library
  • Album & EP Reviews

Empress Of – Us

  • Dork
  • October 16, 2018
Label: Terrible Records
Released: 19th October 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Where Lorely Rodriguez’s last album – 2015’s ‘Me’ – focused on herself, ‘Us’ is more playful but remains as raw and heartfelt as her debut.

There’s so much fun in songs that shouldn’t be. ‘Timberlands’ has pretty ballad-y lyrics propped up by some 80’s keyboards. Similar can be said of ‘I’ve Got Love’, although that plays out as more of a self-love anthem.

It’s those juxtapositions that make lead single ‘Trust Me Baby’ even more isolated in the context of the album. It’s the one track that’s really about yearning and desire, so why does it feel the least compelling?

It’s certainly not a representation of the record. The other nine tracks are far bouncier and more exciting, and it sounds a bit dull sandwiched in between ‘Just the Same’ and ‘Love for Me’.

A lot of these tracks are made far more interesting by Lorely’s voice. It’s got so much character; it gives plenty of life to simple, repetitive choruses like “you say that you love me/ I wanna know if you got love for me/ I wanna know if you got love for me”.

‘When I’m With Him’ arrives second to last as the LP’s highlight. It’s a welcome change of tone – it’s a super melancholy, almost-breakup song which ends up being the most believable.

Empress Of is entirely her own on ‘Us’. She notes she produced “about 70 percent” of the album, and it shows. No one else is really filling that gap between indie pop and experimental R&B. She keeps her experimental production but adds in catchy hooks, and it leaves her sounding like a more accessible version of FKA Twigs or Grimes.

Abigail Firth

You May Also Like
View Post
  • Features

Fall Out Boy: “Going deep with people that care feels so much more important than going wide”

  • March 24, 2023
View Post
  • Features

Sabrina Carpenter: Pop hits

  • March 22, 2023
View Post
  • Music News

Ben Howard has announced a huge 2023 UK and European tour

  • March 20, 2023
Latest issue
Latest
    • Music News
    Ed Sheeran has dropped his new single, ‘Eyes Closed’ – Watch
    • Music News
    MAY-A has shared a new single, ‘Your Funeral’
    • Music News
    BLOXX are back with a new EP, and early teaser-track ‘Television Promises’
    • Music News
    boygenius have announced a few global listening events, plus a Banquet out-store show
    • Music News
    Jimin has released his debut solo album, ‘Face’

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get pop nonsense to your inbox.

Dork
  • Contact
  • Jobs
  • Privacy
© 2016-2021 The Bunker Publishing Ltd

Input your search keywords and press Enter.