With her new album Us due on Friday, Empress Of‘s Lorely Rodriguez has released a final advance single that’s titled after one of its most memorable lyrics: “I Don’t Even Smoke Weed.” Over bright, aquatic production, Rodriguez offers a refreshingly honest reflection on the self-consciousness and euphoria surrounding new romance. She may not be high, but that doesn’t mean that falling in love can’t feel like an altered state of consciousness: “I don’t even smoke weed / It gives me anxiety / But when I’m with you / I’m too careless to / Care what people think,” she sings. A watery fade-in and fade-out give the song the aura of a short-lived dream, or perhaps a hallucination.
“I Don’t Even Smoke Weed” follows three earlier and excellent Empress Of singles: “When I’m With Him,” “Love for Me,” and “Trust Me Baby” (first released as a standalone, and also featured on the new album). Us is out October 19 from Terrible Records/Caroline International.
