Instant Empire

INSTANT EMPIRE'S DEBUT MANAGES TO HIT A SWEET SPOT WHERE JAGGED EDGES MEET SMOOTH MELODIES.

Instant Empire’s debut album features 10 tracks of anthemic rock that splits the difference between post-punk and singalong-ready power pop. Lamplight Lost often manages to hit a sweet spot where jagged edges meet smooth melodies, and it’s an album with enough complexity to make it a more rewarding experience after multiple listens. Getting these different musical elements to cohere takes skill, and veteran producers Jonathan Low (The National, The War on Drugs) and John Vanderslice (Spoon, The Mountain Goats) certainly have a hand in making it happen as well as it does here.

Vocalist Scotty Saunders is the band’s most immediately striking element. His conversational cadence slides between speaking and singing in a way that recalls The Hold Steady’s acquired-taste frontman Craig Finn. But unlike Finn’s flat Midwestern affect, Saunders sounds like he comes straight out of an old neighborhood in Philadelphia. Instant Empire is based in Denver, and Saunders actually comes from Texas via South Carolina, but somehow he’s got the vocal patterns of one of the less-famous American dialects. His unique voice isn’t pretty, but it is distinctive and powerful. Whether he’s hitting the top of his range in the shout-along chorus to first single “Dead Air” or stretching every word out in the slow burning closer “Strike the Stages”, Saunders is always intense and passionate. That passion serves the band well regardless of the style of each song.

“Young Adult Fiction” opens the album with a bass (and handclap) solo, quickly followed by a nearly guitar-free verse. It puts the focus directly on Instant Empire’s rhythm section, bassist Aaron Stone and drummer Tristan Kelley. Stone’s buzzing, melodic basslines drive the whole song and Kelley’s beats are a touch more intricate than usually found in a straightforward power-pop song. Combined with Saunders’ delivery, it’s a catchy, impressive start to the record, and it bleeds into “N.E.S.W.”, a punk-style track anchored by Saunders’ on-the-edge vocals and steered once again by the rhythm section.

Instant Empire doesn’t stick to one formula, though. The intertwining guitars of Lou Kucera and Sean Connaughty contribute to the band’s post-punk feel. There’s a lot of tension and atmospherics in their playing, and not much in the way of barre chords. A rocker like “Balloons” could have been straightforward, but the guitarists avoid the simple chords for something more complex, which fits nicely with the conflicted tone of the song’s lyrics. Similarly, the guitars in slow ballad “Mind the Gap” eschew the power ballad clichés in favor of Explosions in the Sky-style open spaces. In Lamplight Lost’s second half, the band seemingly decides to remind listeners that they’re a six-piece outfit. Keyboardist Doug Chase, who is almost completely in the background on side one, is suddenly all over the place. His fuzzy tones give “Zoo Lions” most of its heft and his Moog-style sounds dominate the long instrumental interlude of the uptempo “Flickering Youth.”

Not quite everything on the album works for the band. The pleasant “Neighbor Girl” is a bit too U2-influenced indie-pop for Instant Empire to fully pull off. Saunders’ unique vocal delivery is muted for perhaps the only time on the album, the instruments never really find a strong riff, and the nearly five-minute running time does the song no favors. On the other hand, the similarly midtempo “North Dakota” works precisely because of Saunders. His lyrics open with the statement “I ain’t never been to North Dakota / Got an idea in my head, of what I think it’s like.” Then he goes on to describe in great, evocative detail what he imagines while the band sits in the background and let the lyrics and vocals take center stage. With the chorus “What was poisoned here / Lasts forever here”, followed by a whole verse concerning wells and money, it certainly sounds like Saunders is excoriating the fracking boom enveloping the state at the moment. The intense ending finds the band rising to meet Saunders as he shouts, “With every fissure and every crack / Every decision you won’t take back home.”

Lamplight Lost is a strong album that nevertheless finds Instant Empire with room to grow. Occasionally the combination of a nontraditional vocalist and guitarists who focus on atmosphere and interesting (but not particularly catchy) guitar lines leaves their songs in need of a stronger melodic idea. But most of the album is an invigorating listen, and it’s one of the better debuts this year.

LAMPLIGHT LOST
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Full Album Soundcloud - PopMatters

The recent inexplicable emo revival has reminded us that there was a lot wrong with music in the early-aughts. But for every band like Simple Plan and New Found Glory, aimed at heartbroken teens clutching lyric journals filled with 7th grade poetry, there were far better bands that knew how to write solid, complex songs of angst and confusion that never really got the accolades they truly deserved – bands like Jimmy Eat World and Hot Rod Circuit. Coming in with the latest crop of emo-digging bands is Denver’s Instant Empire, which thankfully have much more in common with the latter than the former.

Their debut, Lamplight Lost, takes weighty lyrics and balances them with impressive guitars and time signatures. The band teamed up with a duo of producers who have worked with everyone from Spoon and Kurt Vile to Death Cab For Cutie and while the guys behind the board certainly had some effect to the finished project, there is so much to like on songs like “Dead Air” and the quieter “Mind the Gap” that the band could likely have just as impressed with a stripped down demo. (John B. Moore)

4 out of 5 stars: Summary: 'Lamplight Lost' takes weighty lyrics and balances them with impressive guitars and time signatures. - New Noise Magazine

Instant Empire (scheduled to release a new album with a show this Thursday at the Marquis) played one of the first slots at the Westword Music Showcase last weekend. Most rock bands play at night, and most people experience music that they actively seek out after the sun has already set. Despite the circumstances, Instant Empire played the same type of set it would any other place or time, with the same level of fun.

On the road, the group has played to two people and to crowds of hundreds, but each time the attitude has been: You're playing the music largely for you, and if it's not fun for you, it's not going to be any good for anyone in attendance. Besides, you never know to whom you're playing and what will come out of doing your best down the line.

In another era, the kind of mixed-influence music that Instant Empire is doing at this point would have garnered the band the quasi-genre designation of "alternative." More recently, perhaps “indie rock” would be the supposedly appropriate blanket term. But with Instant Empire, neither directly applies. The guys have called their music “aggressive indie rock” in the past, but these days use the term “progressive dream punk.” There are elements of dream pop in the band's sound, but progressive rock and metal are an influence. Tastefully used time signatures and dynamics informs the songwriting and even the stage show. Vocalist Scotty Saunders gestures at times as though conducting the band and all playing with a propulsive energy suggesting the “punk” part. Also in line with punk is the underpinnings of social commentary.

“We told everyone to write three or four words that they liked and we compiled a list and we mixed and matched and Instant Empire came together, but we liked that because our lyrical content is a little bit of social commentary,” says Saunders. “Everyone in this modern day and age wants everything instantly. So that worked with some of the themes we write about and struggle with.”

But instead of the usual consumer culture and an uninspired evils of capitalism approach to its ethos of writing songs about people and their struggles, Saunders and co-lyricist Sean Connaughty look at an issue and mix in the personal and a more in-depth, layered, nuanced perspective, so that each song lends itself to multiple interpretations. This is especially effective and apparent on the band's new album, Lamplight Lost, recorded partly with Jonathan Low and (separately) with John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone. It's out now on vinyl and digitally, with an album release show scheduled for July 2 at the Marquis Theater.

“We probably wrote 'North Dakota' at the height of the fracking boom in North Dakota,” says Saunders. “There were so many people going there, because there was so much money to be made. I have my own issues with fracking specifically, but with the song there are two levels of meaning and you could take the words and apply them to fracking and that would work. But we had some people we knew that were going to North Dakota to do some of the 'dancing.' There's a whole sex industry that has popped up around those kinds of camps. We wrote it also about the damage we're doing to the Earth and the damage you open yourself up to, being in that situation.”

“We try not to hit you over the head with this band except for maybe the volume,” adds bassist Aaron Stone. “There is a lot of subtext in our music, especially in the 'Dead Air' video and a lot of that was open to interpretation. And that's at the heart of the storytelling — it needs to make sense to different people for different reasons. If we were too prescriptive of what the story should be, it misses home in so many places. We've received positive reviews or confused, negative reviews of that video because some people didn't have the headspace to think about what was happening and wait until the end to see where it makes more sense.”

For a band that is aiming at pop accessibility balanced with artistic integrity, its approach to hooking the listener with the music comes from a somewhat unexpected place.

“I grew up in Texas, where, in the old school country, those stories are so perfectly told,” says Stone. “Many of the songs don't even have a chorus. It's not about a hook. It's about telling something that's identifiable and means something emotionally to the person that's telling the story.

“And saying it in a unique way. There's nothing worse to me that trite, knock-you-over-the-head lyrics. When someone says something uniquely or mixes metaphors and transition it all together and I can have an a-ha moment? It just crushes me sometimes. And that they just did that? That's awesome.” - Westword

Denver's own Instant Empire bring their full-throttle brand of indie rock blazing out of the gates with the lead single from their upcoming debut, Lamplight Lost.

This summer, the Denver indie rock sextet Instant Empire will release its debut full-length, Lamplight Lost. The LP was recorded and produced by John Vanderslice, who has also worked with Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, and the Mountain Goats. The influence of the former two of those groups can be heard in the music of Instant Empire, along with a smattering of others such as The Hold Steady, Bright Eyes, and Phantom Planet. Quite wisely, Instant Empire avoids the navel-gazing lo-fi stylistics that are still en vogue in the indie world, and instead does well in emphasizing the rock in “indie rock”.

Vocalist Scotty Saunders tells PopMatters, “Lyrically, the idea for ‘Dead Air’ came about after visiting a good friend who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. The Contra cheat code reference from the old Konami video game became a metaphor for our struggles with death and dying: how do we cope; how do we face our fears; can we escape it? We tracked most of the song live to tape in hopes of tapping into a sense of urgency. Musically speaking, I think we captured some of that darkness—that almost sinister element—and the pre-choruses really start to ramp up the tension. Hopefully, the song will mean different things to different people, but we always try to write songs with layered meanings that people can dive into.” - PopMatters

Keep Up! is the head on collision between Manchester Orchestra and the jagged guitar work of Desaparecidos. It’s as much of a rock record as can possibly be crammed into ten minutes. - AbsolutePunk.net

Denver-based indie rockers, Instant Empire are preparing to self-release their new album, Lamplight Lost on June 23rd. Surviving the Golden Age is pleased to premiere the album’s new single “Mind the Gap.” Written about a story that appeared on the BBC, “Mind the Gap” tells the story of Dr Margaret McCollum repeatedly traveling to the Embankment Station to reconnect with her husband. The lonesomeness that came with each of those journeys to the station, and the somewhat simultaneous joy and heartbreak of just hearing his voice. The song is melancholic and touching without being melodramatic. It is quite the triumph in songwriting. - Surviving the Golden Age

For the past four years, Denver, Colorado-based indie rockers, Instant Empire, have been creating music with aspirations as big as their unique sound. While most IE songs are anthemic and rowdy enough to make for a raw and energetic live experience, the literate lyrics and musical complexity begs for repeated listens at home on the couch. Instant Empire’s brand of aggressive indie rock has drawn comparisons to The Hold Steady, The National, Manchester Orchestra and Bright Eyes.

Thematically, IE’s songs relate to the zeitgeist: our struggle to overcome isolation, to connect with others, and to find meaning in our chaotic lives. The band’s sound appeals to a broad audience, but the group is unafraid to experiment sonically. Songs are highlighted by a tight rhythm section, melodically rich guitar interplay, dark synth underpinnings, and vocals that are at once urgent and passionate.

Instant Empire’s debut full-length album, Lamplight Lost (which drops June 23, 2015), was recorded and produced by John Vanderslice (Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Mountain Goats) at Tiny Telephone Recording in San Francisco and Jonathan Low (The War on Drugs, The National, Kurt Vile) at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia.

Lamplight Lost comes on the heels of three previously released EPs – Instant Empire (2011); Heavy Hollow (2012); and Keep Up! (2013) – and demonstrates the band’s remarkable growth as both songwriters and musicians. Instant Empire was also recently chosen to record a single for the Grow Music Project, a non-profit organization spearheaded by acclaimed TV/film composer and producer, Chris Tyng.

Ghettoblaster recently caught up with vocalist Scotty Saunders and guitarist Sean Connaughty to discuss the record. This is what they told us.

When did you begin writing the material for Lamplight Lost?

SCOTTY: Technically, the final song on the album, “Strike the Stages,” was written a few years ago … but the majority of the album was written over the last year-and-a-half. We wrote a ton of material for the new album and then sifted out the best songs and parts after we’d compiled lots of options. The majority of those songs had similar lyrical themes, so the entire album is interlaced with repeated imagery and motifs. For whatever reason, that material ended up fairly dark. I guess it was our mindset at the time. It can wear a bit on you – writing dark material – but after a certain point I think we just embraced it. While our live set tends to be boisterous and celebratory, we’ve never shied away from letting darkness seep in.

Which of the songs on the LP is most different from your original concept for the song?

SCOTTY: That has to be “Strike the Stages.” At one time that was one of the loudest, most rocking songs on the album. For a long time it felt like we were never going to come to any kind of consensus on where that song needed to go musically. That tune started out years ago with Sean and I just writing on acoustic guitars. After the melody and lyrics were fleshed out we brought it into the guys. These days we rarely ever bring a song in – most of our songs are created with everyone building the song at the same time in our practice space. That might have caused some of the difficulties we encountered with “Strike.” But, actually, while we were out in Philadelphia, we took a break one night from our Low sessions and the band worked together to re-imagine the song.

SEAN: We decided the song needed a lot of space; it needed to breathe. Vanderslice ended up recording and producing that tune and he really helped shape it in the studio. The percussion, guitars and piano parts – basically everything except the vocals – were all improvised on the spot. It involved Tristan, Sean and Doug making up their parts while Vanderslice & the engineer, Jacob Winik, just generally freaked out the signal chain with real-time delay, modulation, and compression tweaks straight to tape. No two performances were ever the same. I think at one point JV was calling for “more goat hooves.” It was like a surreal parody of the Christopher Walken/Blue Oyster Cult cowbell skit from SNL. But we are so happy with how it turned out.

What was it like recording with John Vanderslice and Jonathan Low? How did those relations come about?

SCOTTY: It was beyond cool … and probably a little intimidating. Both Vanderslice and Low had engineered or produced a number of records we really love. They’ve worked with bands like The National, Spoon, Death Cab, The War on Drugs … etc. They both also work in really cool spaces. Vanderslice, of course, has his Tiny Telephone studio in San Francisco, which is an indie mecca, and Low records mostly out of Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia. Being from Denver, it was amazing to travel to both coasts to record the album.

SEAN: Yeah, we were very isolated and immersed in the recording process. The recording of the album actually started in Santa Barbara with a producer named Chris Tyng. Chris runs a philanthropic music organization called the Grow Music Project. We recorded our first single, “Dead Air,” with Chris for GMP. Afterwards, we knew we wanted to record the album with a producer (or producers) that would push us past our comfort zones in the studio. We aimed really high with who we wanted to work with and were able to get in contact with John and Jon. They signed on and the album benefited immensely from their work.

The video for “Dead Air” is supremely creepy. Did you come with the premise behind it? Or was it the video’s director?

SEAN: It’s creepy as hell! We will take credit for the initial concept behind the video. That said, the end result for how the video turned out was definitely a collaboration between the band and Camera Speeds Inc., the production company who directed and produced the video. They were really supportive of the direction we initially came up with and were awesome to work with. We filmed the entire video up in the mountains outside Black Hawk, Colorado during the dead of winter. It was freezing the entire time, but I think the starkness of the landscape really helped create some powerful imagery for the video. We specifically wanted to avoid a typical music video. We wanted the story told in the video to be related to, but not directly the same as, the story told in the song. The woodland creatures, specifically the Donnie Darko-esque bunny, and the Frankenstein creation are definitely fantastical in nature. We wanted people to find new things each time they watched it … I think we succeeded.

Do you have any plans to tour this summer or fall?

SCOTTY: Definitely! We’ve got a number of Colorado shows and festivals we are playing this summer and then the plan is to head out to the East Coast for a larger tour in the fall. We can’t wait to play these songs for everyone. - Ghettoblaster Magazine

Everyone has heard of John, Paul, George and Ringo, but how many have heard of George Martin? Sometimes called the “Fifth Beatle” by insiders, Martin’s contributions to the Beatles’ recording process deserves major credit for the band’s success, yet he remains relatively unknown. The same can be said for producers today. What would Nirvana’s “In Utero” sound like without Steve Albini? And check out the list of hit albums produced by Rick Rubin.

It’s not that producers create hit records from scratch. What they do is provide is the ear of an outsider. Bands write the songs and become way too immersed. It takes the trained ear of a producer to provide engineering, arranging, and other insights to help fully bloom the band’s vision, while adding a touch of their own flare to the tracks. This seems to be the case with Denver’s Instant Empire’s first LP, “Lamplight Lost,” released last week.

Instant Empire have released three EPs over the last four years, each showcasing the band’s driving indie rock and stellar songwriting. But on “Lamplight Lost,” it feels like Instant Empire have fully developed. Singer Scotty Saunders says that for this release they wanted to work with producers that “would push us in the studio. So, they enlisted John Vanderslice, who has worked with Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie and The Mountain Goats, as well as Jonathan Low, who’s produced The National, War on Drugs and Kurt Vile. Not only do these producers have an impressive resume, but their particular styles lend well to Instant Empire’s music. Their unique ears are well-suited for developing the Instant Empire sound, and the album is super impressive as a result.

“Lamplight Lost” is available for streaming and purchase on the band’s website. Why not play a quick game of “Who Produced What?” Then, download “Neighbor Girl,” only available in Steal This Track. The band will host a release show at Marquis Theater on July 2. - Reverb

Denver’s Instant Empire recently released its sophomore EP, Heavy Hollow. On the new EP, the band went for a huge, wide-open sound—and succeeded. The new release is filled with big, arena-ready tracks, so it makes sense that the group has drawn favorable comparisons to Death Cab For Cutie.

The first track on the EP, “Counting Backwards,” weaves a tale about a woman who doesn’t have the life she envisioned when she was younger. The slow-building song is infectiously catchy and anthemic, with shouts of “Hooray! Hooray!” acting as a glorious climax. - CMJ

E - N - E - R - G - Y. The opening guitar hook of their track “Flickering Youth” is reason enough to like the song all by itself. They don’t waste any time with “filler” moments in their songs. There’s always this constant push and driving momentum that makes their music fresh and appealing - Instant Empire jumps out of the speakers with the full force and [did we mention] ENERGY of a band destined to go places. Some bands take a minute to grow on you. Instant Empire had us by the end of the first bar [of music - though we get the sense these guys would be plenty fun to drink with too].

Melodically, they’re the definition of anthemic rock band, with lots of hook-y ear candy dished out in every song - from killer unison and harmonized guitar riffs to beautifully interwoven synth lines to an in-your-face vocal that coats the whole Instant Empire sound so well. We think they are going to seize your attention by the, ahem... and you are going to want a lot more of them. - Grow Music Project

Instant Empire sets the modern American struggle to sound - The Westword

Instant Empire sets the modern American struggle to sound - The Westword

The musicianship on Heavy Hollow runs the gauntlet between Death Cabesque indie pop and the heavier indie rock to come out of Saddle Creek. Instant Empire smoothly incorporate a multitude of styles to create a dynamic release. Listening to one track off of Heavy Hollow may be a satisfying experience, but you have to listen to the whole EP multiple times to truly appreciate the entire scope of what Instant Empire have to offer. - AbsolutePunk.net

From the first chords, the crowd was hooked. There aren’t very many bands that can engage a crowd as diligently as Instant Empire. Several times I glanced around the main bar area and it was empty – everyone was in the main venue area, enjoying the music thoroughly.

In my experience, it’s one thing to hear someone say they’ve been engaged by the music and the musicians, it’s another to truly witness it. The entire room was captivated.

I can’t say what it was that drew everyone in – whether it was Scotty Saunders melodic and passionate vocals, Sean Connaughty’s or Lou Kucera’s haunting-at-times and uplifiting-at-other-times guitar work, or the often powerful lyrics. Whatever it was, whatever it is, Instant Empire had the crowd completely enthralled. - For the Love of the Music

In a perfect world, one in which the Mountain Goats and the Hold Steady run in slow motion across fields and inhabit a pastoral bungalow in Denver, Instant Empire would share a literal and figurative home with them. Dripping with ambition and driven by personal history, the five local storytellers craft big ideas into big arrangements while never taking the focus off the stories themselves. Dotted by nuanced rhythm and expertly paced melody, the six songs on this sophomore release narrate brief moments of punch-drunk love, summer ennui, habitual betrayal and the search for personal identity...

...At its lowest, Heavy Hollow is blunt-force drama. At its highest, it's the next morning. - The Westword

...tight arrangements, assured melodies and a palpaple sense of earnestness and conviction, particularly on standout tracks like "Crooked (and Broken)," like a less frantic sounding Conor Oberst fronting Desparecidos. - The Westword

...tight arrangements, assured melodies and a palpaple sense of earnestness and conviction, particularly on standout tracks like "Crooked (and Broken)," like a less frantic sounding Conor Oberst fronting Desparecidos. - The Westword

...truly a stellar achievement: The lyrics are outstanding on each hook-driven track, and, for having formed only last year, the band sounds truly gelled. - Colorado Music Buzz

...the musical maturity on the sextet’s debut EP belies the newness of the band. The three songs on the EP deftly balance urgency and intensity with humor and humility to create an appealing, charismatic and radio-friendly brand of rock. - Hey Reverb, The Denver Post

...the musical maturity on the sextet’s debut EP belies the newness of the band. The three songs on the EP deftly balance urgency and intensity with humor and humility to create an appealing, charismatic and radio-friendly brand of rock. - Hey Reverb, The Denver Post

Part barroom rock, and part indie pop, Instant Empire’s Heavy Hollow comes across like a Hold Steady album, if it were written and recorded by Death Cab for Cutie - Marquee Magazine

...the outfit cranks out anthemic tracks that ring with honesty and sincerity. Most important, however, is the fact that they rock — with intensity and absolute certainty. - Hey Reverb, The Denver Post

Writers Saunders and Connaughty deliver astute observations and commentaries on society in a way that is beautifully poetic. - The Marquee Magazine

Writers Saunders and Connaughty deliver astute observations and commentaries on society in a way that is beautifully poetic. - The Marquee Magazine

The EP is so strong, in fact, that it leaves you wanting more. - Westword Denver

…an extremely well rounded sophomore effort that will knock you on your ass. The crew will pull you under right away with the first cut, “Counting Backwards” and won’t let you up for air until the disc is over. - Colorado Music Buzz

It's not every day that I hear the Konami code referenced directly in the lyrics of a band. But the presence of the cheat code that was the only way to make the original Contra beatable for the average player is the least bizarre thing happening in the creepy as hell video for "Dead Air" by Denver alt-rockers Instant Empire which we're premiering today.

Imagine a world where Frankenstein and Donnie Darko had a schizophrenic baby that hasn't taken its meds in a couple months, and you'll know what to expect from the unsettling but powerful visuals at the core of the video. Paired with the bordering on post-hardcore guitar work and vocals of the act, the video crawls under your skin and stays there. Now, I just hope there isn't a creepy man in a bunny mask holding a hatchet waiting for me.

"Dead Air" was produced by Chris Tyng for the Grow Music Project and mixed by Jonathan Low (The War On Drugs). The band's new album, Lamplight Lost, which was produced by Jonathan Low and John Vanderslice (Death Cab For Cutie) will be coming out on June 23rd so get excited. - Baeble Music

The music of Denver-based rockers Instant Empire aims for somewhere between the stadium and a quiet space for introspection. Their songs are raucous and feral in a live setting but tend to be more literate and communal when listened to in the comfort of your home. This split rhythmic personality informs the majority of their songs, with the loud and forceful clashing against the subdued and measured. The band taps into some of the most primal urges that we have—specifically, the need to understand our place in the world and how we can best get where we want to be. These are not easy questions, and Instant Empire isn't giving any easy answers.

On "Mind the Gap," the latest single from their upcoming record, "Lamplight Lost," due out June 23, the band takes inspiration from the story of a London woman who often visited the same tube station to hear a recording of her dead husband's voice. Accordingly, the song is rife with melancholic sentiment and a sense of lost years. But there is also an acceptance and determination to use what time we have to the fullest. Built on a stirring series of interlacing guitar lines, a moody rhythmic backbone and some swirling synth atmospherics, "Mind the Gap" is a song about finding hope and respite in a world of uncertainty. And for Instant Empire, the best way to do just that is to remind people of memories that they may have forgotten. - Nooga.com

Denver indie-rock outfit Instant Empire readies for the release of its new album, Lamplight Lost, due out June 23. The band now offers first single “Dead Air” for free download. Beyond the instrumental aspect, the lyrics focus on serious issues, such as struggling to overcome isolation and finding meaning in life. When taken all together, the track is highly energetic and anthemic. Download “Dead Air” below. - Magnet Magazine

There’s a great story behind this video by Denver-based Instant Empire, whose new album, Lamplight Lost, was recorded by top-notch producers John Vanderslice (Death Cab For Cutie, Okkervil River) and Jonathan Low (War on Drugs, Mumford and Sons).

Back in 2013, BBC ran this article, and when the band members read it, they decided to write a song about it. To save you a click: it’s the story of the widow whose late husband’s recorded voice had been used for station announcements on a London rail line. She would go to her local station to hear his voice, and was devastated when the Tube discontinued its use (it was eventually restored). The band, who rarely write love songs, wanted to get inside her head to try and imagine some of the thoughts and feelings she might have each time she traveled to “visit” him.

Poignant as its inspiration, “Mind The Gap” is accompanied by this ingenious video. Enjoy! - The Big Takeover