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May 03, 2024 By Caleb Campbell

Later this month, Thomas Powers, co-founder of synth pop outfit The Naked & Famous, is back with his forthcoming debut solo album, A Tyrant Crying In Private, out on May 17th. The band went on hiatus following their 2020 record Recover, freeing up Powers to delve further into production, film scoring, and his own solo music. His debut finds Powers evoking the confessional and minimalist side of indie an alt pop, fused with stirring classical and electronic flourishes.

The record also includes a number of collaborations, including contributions from Chelsea Jade and Now Now, the latter of which features on Powers’ last single, “Permanent Holiday.” Today, he’s back with another collaboration, “Empty Voices” featuring Julien Baker.

“Empty Voices” is a shadowy and somber effort, knit together by Baker and Powers’ spectral vocal melodies and Powers’ alt pop production. The pair dance with their vocals coated in distorted effects, overlapping in harmony amongst the simmering keys and thrumming beat. The results are understated but surprisingly potent, drawing you in with Powers’ alluring production before hitting with a hypnotic hook from Baker.

Powers says of the track, “My latest single, ‘Empty Voices’ (feat. Julien Baker), delves into the futility of online conflicts. It’s an expression of fatigue and indignation, being on the receiving end of a heated, anonymous digital altercation. At the same time, it’s easy to act hypocritically and become a participant in an exchange that leaves everyone feeling despondent.

Social media encourages impulsivity and rewards volatility: if it enrages, it engages. But often, the voices worth listening to are not the loudest—they are careful, measured, and contemplative.

I’m incredibly honored to have Julien’s vocals and writing contributions on ‘Empty Voices.’ We connected over Twitter DM’s back in 2017 - she was a fan of The Naked And Famous, and I had thrashed her first album, Sprained Ankle, while finishing up TNAF’s Simple Forms. During the quiet lockdown of 2020, I reached out to see if she was interested in collaborating on one of my solo tracks.

She recorded most of her parts at her home studio and sent me some improvisational vocal ideas. These were so exciting that I decided to make a new track with them, which became “Little Lungs.” We met up in person, here at my home studio in LA to wrap up ‘Empty Voices’. We blasted through the recording and spent most of our studio time hanging out, watching the sunset up on a hill in Echo Park.”

Check out the song and video below. A Tyrant Crying In Private is due out on May 17th.