Near the end of "Everything To Me," the first song on the new Empress Of album Us, we hear the featherlight voice of Devonté Hynes, doing that Prince-style deeply intoned spoken-word thing that he sometimes does. When Hynes shows up, it's a genuine surprise. Of course, Us is an album that straddles the line between DIY indie and mainstream pop. On albums like that, you almost expect Hynes to show up. That is his corner, and he's never not working. This time, though, it's a surprise, and it's a surprise because Empress Of has always been a one-woman show.