Prog-Rock Band Empire Springs Release 'The Luminescence' Today (4/29)
Above: ‘The Luminescence’ album artwork; credit: Elijah Zakharov
EMPIRE SPRINGS
— PROGRESSIVE ROCK BAND —
RELEASE 11-TRACK CONCEPT ALBUM
THE LUMINESCENCE
NASHVILLE, TN (April 29, 2022) — Birmingham, Alabama-based progressive rock band, Empire Springs, have released their 11-track concept album The Luminescence. The album highlights the band's greatest techniques of sundry influences into a dazzlingly sophisticated, harmonious, and demanding piece of work.
Pre-order/Pre-Save The Luminescence here.
PROG Magazine, the trusted source on all things progressive music, unveiled the band’s single “Broken Glass” earlier this year, raving that the tune “channels the cyclical nature of Pink Floyd’s 1979 opus, The Wall.”
Recently having reviewed the album, Goldmine Magazine said, “the four-piece band shows it’s very capable of combining complex time-signatures, mighty musicianship and emotive vocals in its well-constructed songs.”
“The album is primarily about self-reflection and discovery, with the lyrics exploring topics like trust, obligation, abandonment, resolving trauma, the deconstruction of relationships, and finding oneself in a life-changing ethical dilemma,” frontman Brett Bellomy explains.
Composed of bassist/vocalist Brett Bellomy, guitarist Michael Naro, keyboardist Chadwick McDowell, and drummer Ethan Standard, the group began as “a studio project between college friends” (according to Bellomy). Expectedly, a few of them had played together in other ensembles, and once Bellomy started truly focusing on his songwriting, they decided to unite for Empire Springs (named after “an exit sign in Empire Country for Blount Springs”).
Naturally, they spent the next few years honing their creative and performative skills, which required “practicing a lot and playing local shows” to cultivate their sound and “learn respective roles in the band.” Fortunately, those countless hours of hard work ultimately yielded The Luminescence — a toweringly ambitious and representative LP — that instantly signifies Empire Springs, an immensely exciting, determined, and skillful genre newcomer.
Because of their aforementioned inspirations – and because they’re self-professed “music nerds” – the group ensures that The Luminescence doesn’t reveal all of its secrets in one straightforward playthrough. Rather, its two suites – separated by the appropriately titled “(Interlude)” – recycle several themes/motifs, rewarding dedicated listeners with plenty of brilliant callbacks to tie everything together.
Indeed, the whole sequence flows with the dynamic poise, virtuosic performances, and seasoned songwriting of a much more experienced band. From its magnificently vibrant powerhouses (such as “Chasing Light,” “Apostasy,” and “Galatia”) to its dreamier and more moving detours (such as “Protector,” “Khan,” and “This Place”) — The Luminescence surely rivals the greatest efforts by many of the quartet’s most prestigious peers and predecessors.
Above: Empire Springs; credit: Hollie Owens
As for how it was written and produced, Bellomy usually sent Naro “demos that had the structures and vibes of the tracks already worked out” and from there, Naro “helps the songs come to life” by adding guitar riffs, chord voices, and the like before the duo invited McDowell and Standard to “refine their respective parts.” Surprisingly – but deservingly – Empire Springs were able to get contortionist keyboardist Eric Guenther and producer John Douglass to help oversee certain aspects of The Luminescence’s final stages. “They both elevated the material into what it is today, and we always looked forward to going to John’s studio,” Bellomy rejoices.
“We would love for people to discover the same kinds of inspiration in our music that we got from so many of our favorite artists,” Bellomy concludes. After just one listen of The Luminescence, you’ll no doubt see it as a remarkable achievement that single-handedly cements Empire Springs as one of the brightest beacons in modern progressive music.
The Luminescence track listing:
“Chasing Light”
“Transit”
“Neptune”
“Galatia”
“This Place”
“(Interlude)”
“The Luminescence”
“Khan”
“Drawing Lines”
“Apostasy”
“Protector”
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