The Fempire Strikes Back | True Lions | LP

True Lions, a KC-based “flosspunk” supergroup, strikes back with a debut full-length record that brings together the imaginations, musical influences, and voices of a set of genre-diverse artists.

Led by Alison Hawkins, the group features a revolving lineup including Elizabeth Kosko, Teri Quinn, Claire Adams, Adee Rocket Dancy, Aryana Nemati, KuJo, Iona DeWalt, and Miki P. Though each artist contributes in a different way, they each play an equally important role in shaping the sound and feel of this debut record.

The Fempire Strikes Back is the culmination of love, friendship, and empowerment between the group’s many multi-instrumentalists. It’s not unusual for a track on the album to include choral chanting reminiscent of early Sleater-Kinney records layered with harmonic string melodies. Track after track, the listener is reminded of the unique intersection of historical styles that inform contemporary alt-pop: punk, jazz, folk, classical, and blues to name a few.

Following their preceding EPs, demos, and cover albums, The Fempire Strikes Back is the ultimate debut album for True Lions. Their style has evolved and developed over the last few years to become the recognizable combination of glossy vocal harmonies and quippy lyrics that make the serious feel silly for a moment. At the heart of a True Lions track is a sense of joy and playfulness, which is felt throughout Fempire. The music is polished, but not perfected. You can feel the warmth of the group’s shared experience through their recordings, a welcome feeling of community after a year of isolation.

For the members of True Lions, music is a refuge. Together, they explore and experiment with their instruments, share complex emotional journeys through their lyrics, and allow themselves to be silly and authentic versions of themselves. Reveling in the glow of this album makes the listener want to experience that kind of refuge in their music, too.

The Fempire Strikes Back is available everywhere on April 9th, and available for pre-order now on Bandcamp.