Empress Of

After listening to 25-year-old Lorely Rodriguez for five minutes, you’re convinced she can be the Empress Of whatever she wants.

The dreamy electro-pop artist will release her second album Me on September 15 via Terrible Records (Twin Shadow, Chairlift), featuring ten tracks she wrote while living alone in a house an hour outside of Mexico City on a pseudo-silent artist’s retreat.

Rodriguez was born to Honduran immigrants, grew up in L.A. and dabbled in jazz singing before moving to Boston to attend music school. Here, she created “Colorminutes,” one-minute YouTube recordings of rough tracks against a single color backdrop. This aesthetic minimalism is still apparent in Me’s album art, her song titles (“Standard,” “Icon”), and even in her music, which doesn’t over-do beat drops or any tired EDM tropes. Even her voice is light and pure, without vibrato.

In “Kitty Kat,” Rodriguez uses staccato beats while showcasing her high register, which explodes into an electronic yodel. Her political lyrics expose the invasive feeling of being cat called as a woman, as well as demonstrates her clever lyrics: “I’m fending for myself when you still call me pretty/ Let me walk away,” she sings. “Don’t kitty kitty cat me like I’m just your pussy.”

Many of her lyrics are political, but masked by dreamy avant-garde electronic beats and harmonies. Listening to her is like floating on a cloud in the middle of a club, where what’s being said isn’t always apparent, but is impactful nonetheless. »

– Sophia June

Empress Of plays Holocene on 9/27, grab tickets here.