REVIEW: The Empire Police – The Human Condition 👊

Lancashire heavyweights The Empire Police bring their prolific year to an end with a bang, with the release of their brand new single “The Human Condition“. After performing across the North West, at venues such as Night and Day, The Ferret, and putting on their own festival Rock AM River in Preston at The New Continental, they’ve established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the North West, and ones to definitely keep an eye out for in 2024.

📸: Liam Maxwell

We were massive fans of their previous release “Northern Bones” earlier this year, a track that blended grungier and punkier elements with intricate storytelling and poetry from lead singer Jordao – whilst maintaining catchy hooks, infectious melodies and huge soundscaping; just some of the class qualities that we’ve come to expect from The Empire Police’s offerings. Their songs are laden with accurate, yet often bleak descriptions of society and the modern climate, written with passion and expertise – and their musical capabilities behind the lyrics give the songs a huge impact on the listener. Every element of the track works in perfect unison with one another to ensure that the music has just as much power and impact as the lyricism does.

This new tune “The Human Condition” not only is another classic from The Empire Police, but sets a real standard, it’s an incredible track from the fellas. Opening up with a wavy, dream-like soundscape, the track gives a strong backdrop for Jordao to command the listener’s attention – and his lyricism throughout is quality, taking a real look at the nature of humanity, a real reflection of the society of today. His rhyming pattern throughout is lovely, always maintaining freshness – and the tight rhythm section behind creates a real foundation on the track. There’s a gorgeous guitar tone within the verses, picking lovely riffs and then opening up to a huge wall of sound in the choruses, giving such a ferocity to it. The breakdown is a short breath of fresh air, and calm, within the track – and the build up to the final section is huge, with a real sense of power and command throughout it all.

📸@fgskay