Based in central Texas, electronic rock outfit Cedars recently released their new single, “Empire,” a song Mindy McCall described as “zero-filler alternative music that drives you wild.”
Guided by Sandeigh Kennedy and Drew Heaton, Cecars fuses elements of industrial and organic textures into complex sonic landscapes, revealing compelling stories. Their music merges the DIY ethos of artists such as The Pixies and PJ Harvey, along with haunting hints of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails.
Talking about their creative process, Cedars told Pete Devine, “Honestly, all of our music and our videos come from a desire to tell honest stories. Our music is born out of personal experiences. We’re a really close-knit family and much of what we create comes from our conversations. Humanity, the messiness of life, the shadow parts of who we are… all of it is fascinating and you can find us talking about sex, death, and rock & roll most of the time. So much of what we create comes out of that.”
The project is much more than simply a band; it’s a group of people forming a community. One predicated on the idea that beauty can save the world.
“Empire” rolls out on emerging, shadowy tones flowing into a dark melody composed of alt-rock and prog-pop surfaces, thrumming with granular edginess. A thick bassline and crunching percussion give the rhythm murky urgency as the Medusa-like vocals imbue the lyrics with mysterious gravity, at once alluring and portentous.
At once eerily evocative and drenched in subterranean angular undertones, “Empire” pulsates with unrelenting secretive energy.