Empress Of Dream House
Released Sep 18, 2026 Major Arcana / Giant Music
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Sep 30, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Empress Of's Dream House channels rebuilding after loss into pop-forward, electronically textured songs that balance grief with danceable warmth.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Wild Storm
1 critic mention
“Wild Storm' is a gorgeous way into ' Dream House '.” — Dork
HandsOn
1 critic mention
“the equally yearning HandsOn sparks with glassy chimes and battering percussion” — The Guardian
Dream House
1 critic mention
“the title track wipes away trip-hop’s murk to expose its sweetness” — The Guardian
Full critic consensus
Empress Of's Dream House channels rebuilding after loss into pop-forward, electronically textured songs that balance grief with danceable warmth. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 74.67/100 consensus score, a reception that frames the album as emotionally generous but uneven in execution. Critics consistently note Lorely Rodriguez's vocal clarity and her willingness to blend ecstasy and restraint, even when production choices sometimes blunt the record's sharper edges.
The critical consensus highlights several standout tracks as the record's emotional and sonic anchor. Reviewers praised “SYW (feat. Cecile Believe)” for growing into a proper dancefloor moment, and “Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)” for a crystalline guest vocal that enhances rather than overwhelms. Dork singled out “Wild Storm” as a gorgeous opening that lets strings and pop uplift carry themes of home and belonging, while The Guardian flagged “HandsOn” and the title track “Dream House” as quieter triumphs that reveal the album's hopeful core. Across reviews critics agree the best songs on Dream House are those that let sadness coexist with movement.
Nuance matters: Pitchfork argued the album too often softens its emotional peaks, leaving some ideas underdeveloped, whereas Dork and The Guardian celebrated the collection's warmth and resilience. That split explains why professional reviews call Dream House a rewarding but imperfect step in Rodriguez's catalog. For readers asking whether Dream House is worth listening to, the consensus suggests the album contains several essential moments and standout tracks even if it does not always sustain its ambitions.
Below, detailed reviews unpack where Dream House succeeds and where critics felt it could have pushed further.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Wild Storm
Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)
We Have Walls
SYW (feat. Cecile Believe)
I Pray 4 U
Missing Out On
I’m Always Home With You
Waiting
Machete
HandsOn
Nunca Tuve Miedo
Trainsong
Welcome To The House
Dream House
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Empress Of's Dream House finds its best tracks in the way personal grief is turned into pop uplift, especially on “Wild Storm” and “SYW (feat. Cecile Believe)”. The reviewer lingers on “Wild Storm” as a "gorgeous way into" the album, where strings swell around Lorely Rodriguez while the record balances loss and joy. “SYW (feat. Cecile Believe)” is praised as a track that builds into a proper dancefloor release, showing how the best songs on Dream House let sadness coexist with movement. Mention of “Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)” notes guests who enhance rather than crowd, reinforcing that the album's standout moments are generous, pop-forward and emotionally grounded.
Key Points
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The best song, "Wild Storm", introduces the album's mix of strings and personal recovery, making it a standout opener.
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The album's core strength is balancing grief and joy, blending strings, electronics and pop to create generous, danceable songs.
Themes
Critic's Take
Empress Of's Dream House casts its best songs as both balm and blaze, with “SYW (feat. Cecile Believe)” and “HandsOn” leaping out as the album's combustible high points. She also flags quieter triumphs like “Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)” and the title cut, which reveal the record's airy, hopeful center and explain why listeners ask which are the best songs on Dream House.
Key Points
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The best song is a tie between “SYW (feat. Cecile Believe)” and “HandsOn” for their ecstatic production and immediacy.
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The album's core strengths are its airy, hopeful atmospheres and the interplay of club-ready bangers with arresting calmer moments.
Themes
Critic's Take
When Lorely Rodriguez sings as Empress Of, her voice can still deliver electric rushes, but on Dream House that spark often feels smoothed down. The review repeatedly praises her vocal virtuosity while arguing the record fails to mine its grief fully, and the best tracks — like “Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)” and “Missing Out On” — show flashes of that immediacy. “Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)” is singled out for a crystalline vocal moment, while “Missing Out On” nearly builds to an anxious peak before fizzling. Overall, the album's topical weight is clear but the production and songwriting leave too many ideas undercooked.
Key Points
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“Blue Light (feat. Blood Orange)” best showcases Rodriguez's crystalline vocal immediacy and stands out as the album's strongest moment.