Empath

Philly quartet Empath fused bristly lo-fi production, synth-heavy instrumentation, and new age undertones into an ecstatic take on punk. The group surfaced from the city's thriving D.I.Y. scene, maintaining a constant tour schedule while documenting their joyous, blurry sound across early 7"s and the 2019 debut full-length Active Listening: Night on Earth. Three years later came the Visitor LP.

Drummer Garrett Koloski and keyboardist Emily Shanahan relocated from Syracuse, New York, to Philadelphia in 2015 and soon settled into a communal punk house alongside singer/vocalist Catherine Elicson. Each had already logged time in separate touring projects, yet the three began playing together in the basement within weeks of meeting. Second synth player Randall Coon joined shortly afterward, and the quartet started writing and recording as Empath. Their chaotic punk approach drew early inspiration from the floating, spiritual free jazz of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, a jubilant spirit that collided productively with high-speed tempos and fuzzy home recordings on initial demos. In late 2016 the band self-recorded and self-released the short demos Crystal Reality, Vol. 1 and 2. They maintained an unbroken tour pace, issuing the Liberating Guilt and Fear EP in 2018 along with two 7" singles, each titled Environments and modeled after the atmospheric new age albums of the 1970s.

Growing attention led the group to track their debut full-length with assistance from Perfect Pussy's noise guru Shaun Sutkus and Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier. Released on the staunchly D.I.Y. Get Better Records in spring 2019, Active Listening: Night on Earth was followed by further touring and a subsequent signing to Fat Possum Records, which reissued both the debut and Liberating Guilt and Fear in October 2019. After the stand-alone 2020 single "III+," Empath previewed their next record through several singles that leaned toward a dreamier tone. The album Visitor arrived in February 2022.