After looking back in the archives, I was surprised to find out that we first posted about Empress Of almost two-and-a-half-years ago. She still feels like a newcomer at this point, an artist constantly on the verge of needing one decent hit to break through. The slow-but-steady pace she’s chosen has suited Lorely Rodriguez’s pop brainchild well. It’s given her the opportunity to dip her toes into just about every iteration of pop that you can think of, from the subtle disco bounce of her debut EP to the electrified strobe lights of “Realize You” (which was put out all the way back in 2013!). But it’s just about time for Rodriguez to start defining herself, though, which will finally happen when she releases her debut album later this year. “Water Water” is the first hint we’ve gotten as to what it may sound like, and it’s very promising. According to the press release, it was written five weeks into a writing retreat in Mexico, and it bears the weight of isolation: “I want to care much more, but I’m feeling less and less,” Rodriguez sings, as a thumping but not in-your-face beat pings away in the background. Listen below.

Empress Of’s debut album will be out later this year via Terrible Records.