Album: “We Used To Be So Beautiful” by Empire Affair

Starting life an a five-piece called “Echo”, they first were unveiled to me at a gig at the iBar (Now the Anvil) in Bournemouth in December 2010. Their energy, songs and enthusiasm pricked my curiosity, I then saw them again after a name change to “Empire Affair” at Champions in Bournemouth in August 2011. After a particularly poor review, (not by me I might add) they had decided to reinvent themselves and put out their debut EP “Red Light”, which featured a brilliant song called “December”. This started my fascination with a local band whom I got right behind and put them forward for gigs whenever I had the chance. I got to know them really well; we did radio shows, festivals, charity events, they even invited me to their inner sanctum for rehearsals and studio recordings. They also played a gig at my 50th Birthday party at the Anvil and I joined them on stage for a thoroughly memorable version of their infectious banger “Tornadoes”. Apparently my vocal was so shocking Soundman Steve turned my mic down to zero.

With many great achievements behind them the band decided to go their separate ways about 10 years ago and things in their camp have been fairy quiet until recently. Guitarist and Keyboard player Matt Park had left to take on his own solo project “Bite The Boxer”. However; the quartet of Neil, Jack, Darren and Tom had stayed in touch and still had the desire to make music. Working with seasoned professionals Harrison Perks & Gareth Matthews at HP Studios in Ringwood, the band have created a new concept album entitled “We Used To Be So Beautiful” streaming everywhere from mid November 2024.

Guitarist Jack explains “the 9 track release if listened to from start to finish tells of a childhood friendship deteriorating and ending in adulthood. The story unfolds at New Year’s Eve at an unnamed seaside town as the protagonist looks back and reflects on their time with lost friend. This is the first time Empire Affair have made an album and it is also the first time they have made spoken word and drum-less instrumental music; they continue to evolve, mature and reach for unchartered waters. The first song written for the album, “Norwegian Hat” was written in November 2017. The final song written for the album, “Heaven’s Mouth” was finished in March 2024. It has been seven years on-and-off in the making”.

The band have dubbed it as their Cindie album, or to use the full name “Cinematic Indie”. It all kicks off with some rhyming Public Service Broadcasting in the synth-backed voiceover “Wave Length”, before a typically Empire Affair-sounding tune “Scissors”. It’s so good to hear Neil’s reassuring vocals once again, along with the band’s big melodic sounds using cleverly put together synths and guitars. At just 2 minutes 20 seconds it’s a firecracker of a track, a short sharp uplifter and a great introduction. With some more stirringly atmospheric and philosophical spoken word with “Disconnected” which leads nicely into “‘endships”. Tom’s effect-fed bass pulsates while life long Spurs fan Neil sings at what I first thought was a song about Harry Kane leaving his team to go to Bayern Munich. It soon become apparent that it’s about the struggles of a relationship and this singer has a knack of bringing in the emotion and tugs at your heartstrings, he has made me cry a few times at gigs (especially when they did a U2 cover)!

The first track written for the album “Norwegian Hat”, which started life about 7 years ago when Jack was inspired at a Future Islands gig at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth. This track shows the band stretching their creative legs with some stirring synth and Darren’s significant rhythms bringing you to the vocal with Neil pleading “Don’t Fall In Love with a Memory”. It reminds me of the words a lead singer of a local band said to me at the funeral of his guitarist recently – “nothing stays the same”. We are all guilty of living in the past and we should live and enjoy the moment before it’s too late. Come to think about it, the song does have a “Future Islands” feel to it with its constant rhythms and synth melodies. It’s a great fairly complex tune and one that takes a few listens to appreciate fully.

“After Sun” starts of with a bit of a ‘Duran Duran’ sounding intro and at over 7 minutes is one of the longest tracks of the collection and one of the longest tracks this band have ever made. Are they going a bit progressive you may ask yourselves? Surely not!! With this tune Neil again warns us “that this nostalgia is gonna kill you”…..what is it about the past; there’s nothing wrong with great memories, just don’t dwell on them. It’s very much a tune coming from a band who have spent long periods of their life on the coast and the tune has a very Summery feel to it. The synth soundscapes on this tune with the use of different textures is something worth noting and with Tom taking over on synth/keys duties from Matt, he has done a fantastic job at helping create one of the top EA songs.

“Connected” is another piece of thought provoking spoken word, set to synth soundscapes and this segues into “Pier Pressure”, an infectious tune that is reminiscent on many of the other EA tunes from over the years, its slow brooding with electronic rhythms with the stand out lyric “We’ll Live & Die These Seaside Towns” reminding me of Coventry Band The Enemy’s 2007 album “We’ll Live and Die In These Towns”. For the bands final Swan Song of this collection we get a tune to sign off called “Heaven’s Mouth”, a piece of contemplation music. Our narrator provides a few choice words before the dreamy sound takes us off serenely, floating beautifully to a captivating close

I’ll leave the final impassioned words to bassist Tom: “We feel this is a minor miracle that the album even exists. We have had countless unforeseen delays and hurdles to overcome, with pretty much every major life event possible thrown at us (inside and outside of the band). And yet, we had a fire in us that would not quit burning. It would have been easier to give up. We simply had to finish this music otherwise it would have killed us not to. But with every setback, it has allowed us more time and effort to be poured into this new music and to make something we are immensely proud of”.

Empire Affair are
Neil Tallant – Vocals
Jack Woolston – Guitar/Synths
Thomas Parrett – Bass Guitar/Synths
Darren Sheppard – Drums

Other album credits
Recorded & mixed by Gareth Matthews
Mastered by Grant Berry at Fader Mastering
Additional Piano by Harrison Perks
Additional Vocals by Jamie Jordan Eldridge
Voiceovers by Soonike & Craig Dunne

Track Listing
Wave Length
Scissors
Disconnected
‘endships
Norwegian Hat
Aftersun
Connected
Pier Pressure
Heaven’s Mouth

Links
https://www.facebook.com/empireaffairband
https://www.youtube.com/@empireaffair
https://www.instagram.com/empireaffair

Article By David Chinery (Chinners)