Empire! Empire!’s Keith Latinen releases debut solo EP as Mt. Oriander (listen)
Keith Latinen of the now-defunct emo revivalists Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) (and Anna Flyaway) recently returned to music with his new band Parting, which he co-fronts alongside Annabel's Ben Hendricks, and now he has surprise-released the debut EP by his new solo project Mt. Oriander. The announcement reads:
'This Is Not the Way I Wanted You to Find Out' is the debut of the long awaited solo project from Empire! Empire! front man, Keith Latinen. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that the EP was written and recorded in a little over a month in preparation for the band's first tour and will come out before the LP that was written and recorded over the past few years.
Latinen plays every note and sings every word. Somber vocals stretch over beautiful and sparse guitar work and introspective drums. If you liked his previous bands, or his current one, Parting- you're going to love this. For fans of Death Cab for Cute, Jimmy Eat World, and Mineral.
Those comparisons are spot-on — really fans of any pretty, atmospheric indie-emo stuff should give this a listen. It's out now digitally on Keith's Count Your Lucky Stars label, with cassettes shipping in November (pre-order). Listen below and stay tuned for the Mt. Oriander full-length.
—