“The only constant is change.” Over 2,500 years after Greek philosopher Heraclitus jotted down that sentiment, Empty Atlas is proving that idea true again - just in a little louder of a way.

The Mississippi-based indie-rock act - featuring vocalist and rhythm guitarist Micah Smith, lead guitarist Brennan Michael White, bassist Alex Ingram and drummer Robert Currie Hansford - has become known for dynamic and melodically gripping songs about people and the way we connect. The band’s first full-length album, 2016’s Hestia, dealt with the idea of home and what it can mean, from acceptance and comfort to solitude and loneliness.

Now, Empty Atlas returns with their sophomore full-length album, Kairos, available now, in partnership with Carved From Stone Records. Smith calls the album “the other side of the coin” from the band’s previous full-length. Where Hestia centered on settling down, Kairos examines the choice to leave everything behind and chase success.

“We all know people who put goals over everything else - that idea of, ‘If I sacrifice enough, I’ll get to X, and then, it’ll be worth it,’” Smith says. “Not bashing anyone for that, but me and the guys had these really honest conversations about what success looks like for us and just finding the balance between the work and joy in playing music together.”

An ambitious concept needed an ambitious team behind it. For that, Empty Atlas reteamed with recording engineer Nick Smith at Dipping Vat Studio in Monticello, Mississippi, and Los Angeles mixing engineer Tyler Spratt (Imagine Dragons, Arkells, Moby), who worked on the band’s 2018 single “Short Fiction.”

Listen to the new album Kairos now. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.