Tooth & Nail have set a March 26th release date for I Am Empire's new studio album, Anchors. "We're always writing, and even when Kings was just finished, we got right back to writing and continued throughout the next year-and-a-half," says frontman Austin Lyons. "As we approached Anchors, we went into the studio with 30 songs and jammed our way through them all, but then recorded the best eight or nine and then finished up the rest in the studio."
"There are a couple of different themes throughout the record, starting with a lot of progression in my life and the idea of moving forward and rebuilding," reveals Lyons, also asserting the band's support of The Mentoring Project (which helps kids growing up without father figures). "Kings was my therapy from my upbringing, but things are getting better, which even plays out in why we named the album Anchors. It's about throwing away and getting rid of the weight that holds you down, which is something we also experienced collectively as a band. We've gone through seasons of getting burnt out from the road, difficult times financially and just going through rough stuff behind the scenes, but we came out of all that wanting to make a record that's 100% our art and not what anyone else wants us to be. Tooth & Nail said 'you guys just do your thing' and they've been completely supportive."
"If listeners can take away one thing from Anchors, it's the idea of just throwing away all your worries and casting them aside so you can be free mentally and spiritually in your life," sums up Lyons, who credits his high school sweetheart turned new bride in helping shift his perspective towards the positive. "You can't progress if there's a giant anchor tied to your ankle. You'll be stuck in the same spot as long as you want it there. As far as my Anchors go, I'm done with them. Just move forward and progress."
Anchors was produced by Brian McTernan (Thrice, Circa Survive, Senses Fail and Hot Water Music).