{"id":793191,"date":"2019-02-19T10:31:30","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T17:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=795419"},"modified":"2019-02-19T10:31:30","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T17:31:30","slug":"song-you-need-to-know-empath-soft-shape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/song-you-need-to-know-empath-soft-shape\/","title":{"rendered":"Song You Need to Know: Empath, \u2018Soft Shape\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Empath<\/a> made a big impression with last year\u2019s Liberating Guilt and Fear<\/em> EP, a radical 16-minute rush of basement noise and sky-high melody. It was an exciting tape to listen to, in part because it suggested so many possibilities for the future of this band as it continues figuring out its sound. What will Empath<\/a> sound like next? The lead single from the Philly group\u2019s upcoming\u00a0full-length debut, Active Listening: Night on Earth<\/em>, is a promising sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoft Shape\u201d is the sweetest, catchiest song Empath have made yet. There\u2019s a gooey synth-bass line, a whistling choir of what sound like theremins and a woozy lead vocal from singer Catherine Elicson. \u201cSometimes our bodies disappear,\u201d she sings, her voice spiraling up toward the ceiling. \u201cI want to be weightless, but not empty of all this\/Who knew that would be so satisfying?\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a light veil of distortion over everything, but the sound of the band is clearer than before \u2014 the same strange dream seen through a higher-resolution lens. Once I heard \u201cSoft Shape\u201d once, I immediately played it three more times. The video looks like a seance, and the song kind of sounds like one, too. This is pop music, Empath\u2019s way.<\/p>\n