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Oct 25, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Empress Of

Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez) released a new album, Us, last week via Terrible. Now she has shared a self-directed video for “I Don’t Even Smoke Weed.” In it she sings the song in a sparsely decorated, brightly colored studio space while a small audience dances along. Watch it below, followed by her upcoming tour dates.

When Us was announced Empress Of shared a self-directed video for “When I’m With Him” (it was an honorable mention in our Songs of the Week list). Then she shared two other new songs: “Love For Me” and “I Don’t Even Smoke Weed.” Us also includes “Trust Me Baby,” a new song she shared back in April (although the other new song shared at the same time, “In Dreams,” is not on the album).

The album is the follow-up to Empress Of’s well-received debut album, Me, released back in 2015 via Terrible. Us was recorded in various Southern California, including at Rodriguez’s Highland Park home and in various recording studios, including one “with a really loud cricket.” As Rodriguez explained in a previous press release: “He was there, like, all month. And I was trying to track vocal tracks and he’d be like, CHIRP, CHIRP!”

Rodriguez estimates she produced 70% of the album herself, but she also worked with Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange), LA production duo Sam Griesemer and Jerome Potter of DJDS, and Spanish electronic producer Pional.

Rodriguez summed up the album in the previous press release: “It’s not just love songs. It’s about different experiences of the heart. I want it to be like a mirror, and [the audience] sees a little bit of themselves in every song.”

Empress Of Tour Dates 2019:

2/18 - Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
2/19 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
2/20 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
2/22 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
2/24 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
2/25 - Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz PDB
2/27 - Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall
3/1 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
3/2 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
3/5 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
3/6 - Portland, OR @ Star Theater
3/8 - San Francisco, CA @ Starline Ballroom
3/9 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
3/19 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega Small Hall
3/20 - Berlin, Germany @ Berghain / Kantine
3/21 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
3/22 - Cologne, Germany @ Artheater
3/23 - Paris, France @ Le Babadoum
3/24 - Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique / Rotonde
3/26 - London, UK @ Scala
3/27 - Manchester, UK @ YES
3/28 - Dublin, Ireland @ Whelans

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