Sparta have returned with the second new song from their April 2020 comeback album Trust The River, “Empty Houses.” The song is accompanied by an animated video that was directed by Kris Pierce.

Like the previous song released from the album, “Believe,” it challenges what the listener expects from Jim Ward and company, taking on a bit of an folksy Americana flair in the guitar lead and subdued rhythms, though it retains some of that Southwestern influence that At The Drive In exhibited, particularly in their early days.

According to frontman Jim Ward, the song is about the 2008 real estate-centered market crash and its aftermath.

“I worked out the final lyrics and vocals pretty quickly in the studio with David Garza bouncing lines back and forth. The idea centers around the void left by the market crash and what became of the houses left vacant. We wanted to capture some of that anxiety and fear that must have surrounded those times and try to imagine how to cope.”

Photo Credit: Marv Watson