Empath’s debut Active Listening: Night On Earth is less than six months old, and today they’re already back with new music. The tune in question is a cover of “Drunken Angel” from Lucinda Williams’ 1998 classic Car Wheels On A Gravel Road — which, you may recall, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield wrote about for us last year. But Empath are not your typical rock band, and this is not your typical cover.

Yes, the Philly experimentalists have transformed “Drunken Angel” from a chiming roots-rocker into a breathless noise-pop rave-up. But beyond the aesthetic changes, they’ve also chosen to segue from “Drunken Angel” into a four-minute improv noise track called “The Other Side.” In a press release, the band’s Catherine Elicson writes, “We were interested in reworking a song outside of our typical style of music. We also wanted to pay homage to Lucinda Williams, one of the greatest living songwriters. So we dragged ‘Drunken Angel’ through the Empath filter, and the result is what made it to the other side. Lucinda, we hope you don’t hate it!!”

“Drunken Angel / The Other Side” is Empath’s first release for new label home Fat Possum. The company recently reissued Active Listening: Night On Earth and last year’s killer Liberating Guilt & Fear EP. Hear their latest offering below.

TOUR DATES:
10/26 – Toulon, FR @ Le Port Des Creatures (Midi Festival)
10/28 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
10/30 – Paris, FR @ TBA
11/01 – Bristol, UK @ The Crofters Rights
11/02 – London, UK @ Dingwalls (Mirrors Festival)
11/03 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2
11/04 – Manchester, UK @ The Star and Garter
11/05 – Glasgow, SCT @ The Hug and Pint
11/06 – Sheffield, UK @ Record Junkee
11/09 – Utrecht, NL @ Le Guess Who Festival
11/16 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall ~
11/18 – Chicago, IL @ Metro ~
11/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater ~
11/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ~
11/22 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom ~
11/23 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium ~
11/24 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ~
11/26 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry ~
11/27 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ~
11/29 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground ~
11/30 – Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theatre ~
12/01 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum ~
12/02 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade ~
12/03 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East ~
12/05 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ~
12/06 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk ~
12/07 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger ~
12/08 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater ~
12/11 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theatre ~
12/12 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues ~
12/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater ~
12/15 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project
12/17 – Dever, CO @ Hi Dive
12/18 – Lawrence, KS @ White Schoolhouse
12/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR
~ w/ La Dispute & Touche Amore

“Drunken Angel / The Other Side” is out now on Fat Possum.

CREDIT: Daniel Topete