Imagine standing on the precipice of some cosmic stage, feeling the chill seep into your bones while you await some mysterious summons. It’s raining, of course, because nothing says existential pondering like a downpour. Enter the Empress, a figure as hollow as a chocolate Easter bunny left out in the sun too long, commanding shadows to dance like they’re auditioning for a spot on a spectral dance team. Her voice, reminiscent of a mourning dove’s song, fills the air with an almost enchanting allure. Despite her hollow nature, she manages to hold an astounding presence, leaving our narrator spellbound and forever tethered to the darkness she rules. It’s a surreal spectacle of haunting beauty and melancholy, wrapped up in whimsical chaos.
Setting the tone for The Empress, by North Carolina’s dark alternative group Feyleux, is like wandering into a haunted garden party. Mixing dreampop, darkwave, and a pinch of Southern Gothic flair, their sound evokes the likes of Drab Majesty, Echoberyl, Minuit Machine, and Chromatics.
The Empress thrives on a delightful tension between its breezy, effervescent instrumentation and the darker, more fretful tones of its vocals. The music entices you with a carefree melody, but the voices suggest something deeper and a tad unsettling, ensuring you’re always a little bit on edge. It’s that feeling you get when the ouija board starts spelling out something a little too real.
…Follow Feyleux into the cemetery for the day in the video for “The Empress” below:
The duo’s debut album, Midnight Hearts, offers a delightful mix of edgy bass synth, swirling guitars, and those icy 80s synthpop melodies that make you feel both nostalgic and oddly futuristic. Ethereal vocals float above, guiding you through songs that explore love, loss, longing, and personal power—all with a hint of the supernatural. Think of it as your favorite ghost story set to music. The lyrics dabble in paranormal activities, the occult, liminal spaces, and even the occasional chat with the undead.
Midnight Hearts manages to balance dreamy urgency with a dash of drama, all wrapped up in dark romanticism and an unexpectedly danceable sense of brooding anger.
Listen to The Empress below and order Midnight Hearts here. It is out now via Swiss Dark Nights.
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