Stream Empire of the Sun’s new album ‘Ice On The Dune’

Luke Steele tells Rolling Stone; “With the first record, we didn’t have time to think. It was quite immediate. But this time, we set the bar pretty high: We wanted every chorus to have a zing. The songs would go through many sets of clothes. We kind of became a bit like Steely Dan: Ship out a chorus, bring in a new chorus, we’d all love the chorus, then swap out the verse. We’d approach it like George Martin, talking to Lennon/McCartney. It was a new process for us, being that strict on how much the song could cut through.”

Does the new album reach the dizzying heights of ‘Walking on a Dream’? Does each chorus have a zing? We’d have to say it does, boy oh boy it does!

From the get-go ‘DNA’ leaps and bounds with heavy synth laden chords frolicking along with Steele’s vocals, “Alive” the first single and taste of Empire in 5 years is a grower, that has gone from alright to incredible and a stand out on the album.

Read: Rave’s Dad reviews Empire of the Sun Live

Title track “Ice on the Dune” could have found itself on the bands debut but works so well as a transient jam between the two, we’re looking forward to some uplifting remixes of this one!

Empire themselves are fond of “Surround Sound” a jittery, high energy, Daft Punk-esque beat built from earlier sessions with modulated talkboxes and shuffling drum code; “We loved that track from the start – it was like an old friend.”

Listen to the full album below and let us know what you think!

Listen: Empire of the Sun – Ice on the Dune