Katie Schecter today releases her new album Empress, finding liberation in imperfection. Recorded live to tape at the legendary Diamond Mine Studio in NYC while she was pregnant with her daughter, Empress is in many ways a family affair. Produced by Nick Bockrath, her husband and the guitarist of Cage The Elephant, the record distills life’s double-edged lessons into 11 songs. The album also features the powerhouse rhythm section of Nick Movshon and Homer Steinweiss, who are known for their work with The Arcs, Clairo, Mark Ronson and more. Empress also showcases Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Leon Michels on piano, and Matt Combs on violin, viola and cello, informing the record’s soulful core temperature — Stream / Order Empress on vinyl.
In her own words, Schecter’s mission statement for the album is: “In a world that’s gone mad, I will keep making. Fast food, fast fashion I am the argyle sweater resting at the bottom of the $5 bin. The one that’s withstood decades of wear, overlooked, but pristinely fashioned. The one people would want if they knew better. Listen closely, you will hear my heart… the imperfections I have come to cherish and privately detest..the warmth of the tape machine…the vulnerability in each hopeful breath…unstoppable, undeniable, my human experience. Utterly unique and no different than anybody else’s. I only did this to leave something behind when I one day evaporate. Something for the pickers, diggers, the tastemakers and truth seekers. Something woven by skilled and tired hands, a pattern worthy of every stitch. The one and only…Empress.”
The mission statement now takes on a new, physical form in an official video, shot on film by CJ Harvey, showcasing Schecter at her most exposed — Watch. |
The album fiercely opens with the title track, a song that Schecter finished in one sitting as it seemed to write itself. She shares, “‘Empress’ is the birth of a new idea, the renewal of a mindset; it is selflessness, motherhood, creativity, conviction and fertility of the imagination. It’s for anyone who loves something/someone unconditionally; for those who treasure what it takes to be a woman, our strengths, our nuances and imperfections alike. It’s for the dimwits who think they can make laws about our bodies, yet cower in the presence of our innate power. ‘Empress’ is for my daughter Only, hoping she can remain confident, soft and unwavering in a society testing her self-possession at every turn.”
Winding our way through the tracklist, we meet previously released singles including ”Run River Run,” “Hide My Weapons” and “Pay It No Mind.” “Run River Run” is a resilient mix of rock, soul and pop that drives with few glances to the rearview mirror. A co-write with Bockrath, “Hide My Weapons” is an autobiographical lovers’ quarrel, one where soulmates have the intimate knowledge of each other that can be used to love tenderly or slice sharply. The easygoing “Pay It No Mind” exists as a meditation to not sweat the small stuff.
The album’s final song “Hiding Place” opens with an audio clip from the first time Schecter heard her daughter’s heart beating, a moment she credits as where her life really began. Bluesy and swaying, “Hiding Place” is the manifestation of unconditional love and being the last one standing when all the dust settles.
Distilling the bits of wisdom across Empress into one final thought, Schecter shared, “I wanted the whole record to be one color, one unified experience in a time of consistent polarity...focusing on what we all share as human beings…we all dream, we love, we fear, we have control, we lose it entirely…We are born and exist in many forms and fashions, and eventually we all die…We are wildly individual and subsequently not unique at all….We’re all here inhabiting one space, one earth. I feel the need for us to be reminded of the common ground we share just for being human, for being here at all.” |
Press photo by CJ Harvey
To celebrate the release of Empress, Schecter will play a hometown Nashville show tonight at Soft Junk with support from Alicia Gail. Special guests in Schecter’s band include Zac Cockrell of Alabama Shakes on bass and Ray Jacildo from The Black Keys’ touring band, on keys. Tickets can be purchased here. |
Katie Schecter's journey as a solo artist began with a self-titled EP in 2017, followed by her second full-length release Bad For Business in 2020, solidifying her place on the map as a boundary-pushing musician. Recent career highlights include performing at a sold-out show opening for Beck in Nashville while 8 months pregnant and opening for The Zombies at SXSW. Additionally, her vocal talents are featured on Cage The Elephant’s most recent Grammy nominated album Neon Pill as well as the 2020 Best Rock Album winner Social Cues. |
PRAISE FOR EMPRESS
FLAUNT “...Schecter coolly assures us. And what she says, goes.”
X96 “With Empress, she folds everything into the frame: motherhood, creativity, love, fear, power—and all the messy, electric moments between.”
LIGHTNING 100 “...Katie Schecter’s vision for Empress as what she called ‘dubbed- out Supremes’ is certainly an apt description. With this sort of reverence for the past, Schecter balances these timeless elements with modern relevance beautifully.”
GLIDE “Schecter’s vocals are soft but subtly powerful. She whispers and croons in a smoky voice that evokes the languid melancholy of Lana Del Rey and the sultry tones of a more subdued Etta James.”
INDIE IS NOT A GENRE “The track is a hypnotic and soulful ride, defined by a cinematic sophistication that effortlessly blends elements of rock, pop, and soul.”
CAVEAT “Sultry and cinematic, the track glides between rock, soul, and pop, with a forward-driving energy that refuses to look back.”
THE LUNA COLLECTIVE “Empress celebrates the resilience of the feminine spirit…In embracing imperfection, Schecter has found liberation. Empress feels like a manifesto. It’s a tribute to womanhood, autonomy and the unshakable softness that lives within us all.”
THE INDY REVIEW “From the word go, Schecter displays a vocal and lyrical sense of feminine confidence that is usually found once in a generation, if you’re lucky. Billie Holiday had it. Amy Winehouse did too…And she is well on her way if Empress is any indication." |
EMPRESS TRACK LIST 1. Empress 2. Run River Run 3. Kaleidoscope 4. Melting Away 5. Hide My Weapons 6. Taming the Beast 7. Pay It No Mind — Watch 8. Like A Crown 9. Shoulda Woulda Coulda 10. Gust of Wind 11. Hiding Place |
Press photo by CJ Harvey
###
For more information on Katie Schecter, please visit: Instagram |Twitter |Facebook |Spotify | YouTube | Apple Music |
|
INTERVIEW WITH DENNIS COOPER by Alexander Laurence Serial murders have become more prevalent in American Society. Are you ver...
EMAIL me at AlexLaurence @ AOL (dot) com "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, inf...
No comments:
Post a Comment