I had the pleasure of seeing London-based fourpiece Empty Friend live before hearing any of their releases. After picking up on Mike Patton vibes and appreciating their high-octane polished approach to Hard Rock, I couldn’t help but get excited about their talent, intellect, and ability to bring something new to the airwaves.
And sure enough, they have delivered with their latest single “Falter”; the first track to be released from their second EP. The instrumentals may remain cold, harsh, and unrelenting, but the personable vocals sit in complete contrast while maintaining perfect synergy.
“Falter” was a track inspired by an imagining of the uprising of those oppressed by abusive Governmental regimes around the globe. The open lyrics allow you to apply the aural angst to a myriad of contexts. This ability to autonomously interpret the lyricism makes the power of the single all the more potent.
You may be able to catch faint glimpses of the 90s sound in Falter, but Empty Friend doesn’t pander to nostalgia. They’ve gripped the contemporary frustration of our modern lives and turned it into a cathartically heavy soundscape complete with the radical grip of overdriven guitars. Thanks to Dave Kirk’s impeccable diction and dynamically captivating vocals in Falter, the catchy lyrics resonate succinctly above the sludgy heavy progressions.
Empty Friend exudes incredible energy. It’s visceral, it’s raw, and each of their tracks offers a candid lyrical introspective which may just help you to shift your own mind’s narrative.
You can check out Empty Friend’s latest single Falter for yourselves by heading over to Spotify from October 26th. In the meantime, you can check out their earlier released singles.
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Review by Amelia Vandergast
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