The Denver-based indie rock band, Instant Empire, is excited to announce the release of their third single today, “Disco Systems In The Dark,” taken from their upcoming fourth album, Standing Eight Count. “Disco Systems In The Dark” follows the previously released lead single “Tiny Flashes” and “Paper Thin.” Standing Eight Count will be released digitally on March 31, 2023.

Instant Empire hails from Denver, CO and is made up of Scotty Saunders (vocals, lyrics), Sean Connaughty (guitar, keys), Lou Kucera (guitar), Aaron Stone (bass), and Matt Grizzell (drums). Together, they have been chronicling the human condition through their signature brand of indie rock since 2011. Over the years, the band has garnered comparisons to a number of indie rock’s finest artists, including The National, Bright Eyes, The Hold Steady, Death Cab For Cutie, and Manchester Orchestra.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the band started writing songs – lots of them. During the lonesome early days of the pandemic, writing these songs gave the band an outlet to grapple with universal issues which were hitting close to home: death, aging, a slow disintegration of hopes and dreams, reflecting on the past and the future that stands in its wake. 

Over the past few years Instant Empire has been hit with a seemingly endless number of personal issues: the death of parents & friends, health issues, long days and nights in and out of hospitals, lost jobs, lost paths, and an incalculable sense of isolation. The weight of these items seemed to naturally coalesce into the songs they have been writing. 

The result is Instant Empire’s fourth full-length LP, titled Standing Eight Count. Musically and thematically, Standing Eight Count is expansive. “It felt like the canvas we were working on had been broadened,” explains the band’s singer and lyricist Scotty Saunders. “An undercurrent of deep personal struggle permeates these songs. Broken and battered characters, on the ropes, but still standing, still fighting the good fight … this theme is woven in and out of the 11 songs that make up the album.”

Instant Empire recorded Standing Eight Count at their own studio with the band’s own guitarist and keyboardist Sean Connaughty on production and engineering duties. Standing Eight Count was mixed and mastered by D. James Goodwin at The Isokon, Kingston, NY. Additional recording was done by Rich G. at Ghosthouse, Denver, CO. “D. James Goodwin has worked on some of our very favorite albums over the past decade. He was awesome to work with, and he really did a masterful job mixing this thing. It sounds lush. He made it sound and feel like a living, breathing recording. We love his work on this album.”

Ultimately Standing Eight Count aims to be a companion to listeners through these strange and difficult times. Instant Empire’s previous releases inclue: Cathedrals (LP; 2019), Last of the Lovers (LP; 2017), Lamplight Lost (LP; 2015), Keep Up! (EP; 2013), Heavy Hollow (EP; 2012), and Instant Empire (EP; 2011).