For the last decade, Crown the Empire have created a signature sound that appealed to multiple music fans in the realm of pop, metal and rock. From cutting their teeth in the Warped Tour World, to headlining Gramercy Theater and Irving Plaza, Crown the Empire is able to connect with so many people with their signature sound and lyricism.

With so much uncertainty, new music is welcomed with open arms to get through this, and Crown the Empire delivered something familiar, yet fresh. With their newest acoustic album 7102010, they show us another side of them. Crown the Empire has mastered multiple languages in music and this is another one. Covering multiple eras of their catalogue, and including one song that was never heard before, they were able t o deliver a whole new layer of emotion with a sound that already held nothing back.

Opening up with Aftermath, they start off with a subtle and powerful note. Andy Leo’s vocals shine full force with great range and lyrics while the instrumentals maintain a polished and raw essence of beauty. They were able to start off on a fully charged note while leaving us wanting more. Cross our Bones is able to continue the soothing momentum with Andy’s vocals delivering a serenading pitch like no other. It continues the polished, yet raw sound that adds an element of catchiness as it picks up in tempo. The range and pitch of the vocals and the acoustics flow so well and tenderness is constantly prevalent. Blury brings a nice subtle and atmospheric aspect to this album. As Andy’s vocals moves around, Brandon Hoover carries multiple usages of the guitar from singular notes that deliver as much emotion as the vocals and creates great strumming to make the whole song seem more full.  When we get to Hologram, the acoustic instrumentation continues to guide us while the vocals incorporate sustained notes to make us further indulge in this album. Andy holds nothing back in range on here while Brandon, Brent and Hayden act as the perfect foundation to support these vocals. This is super catchy and immersive with its use of atmospheric elements that build up more and more as you move along. Memories of a Broken Heart starts off with a subtle use of everything hitting at once. The strumming behind the vocals harmonize so well together and the chorus delivers so much catchiness and emotion. Even though it is the shortest track, it gives us so much to offer that you will be discovering something new with each passing listen of just this track alone. So many different melodies are incorporated at once that can work perfectly together. Johnny Ringo brings a different side to its acoustic vibe. It has a bit of a folky vibe to it with the way the melody moves around the rhythm. While the vocals move around like a rollercoaster, the strumming is hard hitting. This almost has an epic vibe behind it. Having this epic vibe, they are able to add even more imagery to the strong music and enhance the narrative that is incorporated throughout this album. The momentum does not slow down when we get to Voices. Everything hits at once, once again. Bringing a little bit of blues to this melody we get another taste of Crown the Empire’s abilities to bring all types of emotion with the voice. With all these atmospheric instrumentals behind the acoustics, this track adds more and more indulging elements that surrounds you with imagery. What I Am is where the darkness creeps up more and enhances the mysterious elements behind it. Building up to the chorus with much suspense, they hit you full force and then follows up that amazing chorus with hard-hitting acoustic strums that would be brutal if there was distortion on it. The verse stands out, the bridge stands out and the chorus stands out. Topping it all off with a nice and catchy acoustic solo to enhance the emotion even further, this serves as the ultimate acoustic track of 2020. Seconds Thoughts brings back a little bit more of a suspenseful and epic vibe with a more hard-hitting rhythm behind it. While the vocals deliver a more subtle range, the fast acoustic picking adds a little bit more suspense to the track. Everything comes full circle and falls into place when we get to the chorus as the vocals, rhythm and guitars all morph together to create one beautiful melody that is so easy to indulge in. This is a track to clap to, dance to, and cry to. This track moves so much in itself, that it is impossible not to move when you listen to this one. Every element gets a chance to stand out here. Fading out with such mystery, it instantly prepares us for the final acoustic track. Ending with MZRY, you have a nice little picking and subtle vocals over it that is very reminiscent of the original track. This brings back the catchiness while incorporating amazing sustained vocal styles and constant evolution is demonstrated as it moves along. Every type of element you were hearing in the other tracks is incorporated with different acoustic elements. Ending the album with the track that never saw the light of day before Everything Breaks, we get a use of pianos incorporated with melancholy, yet powerful vocal styles over it. This serves as an epic ballad that holds nothing back emotionally and makes listeners ask “where has this song been all my life” Being a track that relies on keys more than guitars, it was great to put this at the end of the record as well to end it on a different note without abandoning what we heard previously.

Simply put, this was the album that we needed for the times that we are currently living in. All of these songs remind us of better days when we used to go to live shows and feel like actual human beings. Crown the Empire was able to take these songs that can already be deemed “classic” and reinvented them to bring us back to an older reality and face this brutal new one. They have never had a hard time connecting with people, and this acoustic album 7102010, they had nothing to hide with the rawness incorporated on it. Vocally and melodically, all these songs have a new layer of relevance and were able to redefine what made these songs so great to begin with. This album is very easy to indulge in and return to. They were able to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their first show, while also giving us the strength and energy to overcome these uncertain times, pretty much delivering the soundtrack needed as we sleek on the streets of misery we currently live on.

Thank you Crown the Empire for once again, being there for us.

Out now on Rise