Empress Hotel - Empress Hotel

Hailing from New Orleans and the same record label that handles folk-rockers Dr. Dog, newcomer Empress Hotel’s debut EP is a musical ode to 60s-70s pop, spiced up with charming guitar and keyboard riffs and a delicious vocal delivery by lead singer Micah McKee.

‘Empress Hotel’ is definitely reminiscent of Dr. Dog, but a more “poppy” version. The group’s frequent inclusion of “Oohs” and “Aahs” throughout the EP to back the lead vocals gives their music a dream-like quality - a very pleasant dream, that is. They have also managed to achieve a gentle balance between upbeat and slower tracks, avoiding listener’s boredom and having all their tracks sound too similar.

The EP is, in total, a fun collection of pop gems. However, the fourth track ‘Search Lights’ stands out from the others, the least “poppy” of the five. It still carries the dream-like air of the other songs, but in a more psychedelic, jam bandy sort of way. The ability of the keyboard to incorporate diverse sounds into the song is what really makes it interesting, from a sound that could be mistaken for a violin, to synths, to a traditional pop keyboards.

As their debut, the EP is quite impressive, and sounds like they have had years of experience playing, touring, and recording under their belts.