Three songs. Ten minutes. Instant Empire’s third EP, Keep Up!, is all sharp edges and lean muscle. It is fighting weight. Someone along the way said it sounds like a broken nose feels. That’s good, right? It even made the recording engineer cry once the sentiment sank in.

Keep Up! is a reckoning, an awakening, an act of contrition. It's one final attempt at clarity. Inspired in part by T.S. Eliot, the EP imagines the voice of a younger (and slightly more intoxicated) J. Alfred Prufrock. It’s the bastard son of blackout nights and mornings coming down, and it begs to be turned up loud as the band stretches out more powerfully than ever before.

Both the title track and “Flickering Youth” are standouts.

Since releasing Heavy Hollow in May 2012, the band has been writing and gigging as much as possible. They bought a van and are convinced she has it out for them. Meanwhile, the guys continue to refine their craft, and 2013 is slated for more touring and a full-length. They are growing this thing slowly, one step at a time, pushing the rock up the hill. And they love it.

Instant Empire is:

Scotty Saunders – Words and Vocals
Sean Connaughty – Words and Guitars
Lou Kucera – Guitars and Background Vocals
Aaron Stone – Bass and Background Vocals
Doug Chase – Keyboards and Percussion
Matt Grizzell – Drums