Premiere: The Federal Empire, ‘The American Dream’

Kevin Bronson on October 19th, 2016

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The Federal Empire (Photo by Adam Battaglia)

You might expect a little flag-waving bombast from a band with the name like the Federal Empire, but on their new single “The American Dream” the L.A. trio uses their sharp songwriting skills to put consumptive, entitled America squarely in their crosshairs. The band combines the talents of Chad Wolf (the South Carolina native who fronts Carolina Liar), Grammy-nominated songwriter McKay Stevens (Kaskade’s “Atmosphere”) and Bay Area native Keith Varon (Angel’s Landing). The trio got together as songwriters for hire, working on tunes for the likes of the Chainsmokers and David Guetta, before deciding they had a good thing going and embarking on their own project. Their electro-charged folk-pop comes complete with big choruses and gang vocals, and if “The American Dream” isn’t the kind of outsized song that has big crowds waving their arms, maybe it’ll give people food for thought. “I want what I want / not what I need / even if it kills me / I’ll be free,” Wolf sings, leading the chorus. “I like it bigger faster stronger / Give it to me louder harder.”

The song, the band says, “is a cynical look at society and culture in America. Don’t get us wrong, we love our country and the freedoms we have here. The song is really a joke from the first line saying ‘I smoke weed in the city of a Netflix nation.’ It’s the essence of our culture now, but at the same time we want it all. We want it bigger, faster, stronger, louder, harder. It’s a small commentary on instant gratification as human beings.” Voices may be raised, boots may stomp and “The American Dream” may find its way (unironically) in a truck commercial, but on the sidelines there should be somebody tipping their trucker’s cap to the Federal Empire for using big pop as a weapon of mass deconstruction.

||| Stream: “The American Dream”