Empath - Liberating Guilt and Fear
Get Better Records, 2018
Producer, Engineer
“These aren’t the birds that get printed on tote bags—they’re the ones a cartoon character might hear, as stars circled her head, after taking a punch to the jaw. That isn’t a bad metaphor for the music of Empath, which alternates between punk violence, pop sparkle, and art-rock experimentalism, often layering all three together in compositions that sound aggressive and otherworldly at once.”
- Pitchfork (8.1 rating)
“Liberating Guilt And Fear is a joyous, searing purge of anxiety and uncertainty. Caustic squalls of distortion blanket the tape’s undeniable hooks as Catherine speak-sings with a Kim Gordon-esque remove and Garrett drums like he’s battering a boxer’s speed bag.”
- Fader
“Empath’s tape more than lives up to that namesake, offering up a blend of noise and fierce hooks that sounds cathartic and empowering…The first half of the tape is filled with blisteringly bright noise-pop, three songs that find the band careening from one towering melody to the next. Everything’s buried under a thick layer of distortion, but its pull is undeniable.”