We’re back with another week of the latest releases from The Orchard. This week, two New Yorkers bring their A-game to powerful releases covering the hip hop and rock genres. We’ll hear the latest from pop wunderkind Ilgen-Nur arming you with all the releases you’ll need to head into September rockin’ and poppin’.
Joell Ortiz – Monday (Mello Music Group)
Slaughterhouse-alum Joell Ortiz is back with his 9th studio album, Monday. Ortiz brings power and focus to the album while revisiting his childhood in the tracks, namely his latest single “Before Hip Hop.” The song reaches into Ortiz’s Brooklyn roots, paying tribute to his fallen childhood friends and acknowledging the power hip-hop had to change his life. “Before Hip Hop, I was a different person. I grew up in a rough environment that made me behave, respond and live in a certain way,” he said to Hip Hop DX. Monday offers a buffet of talent, featuring vocals from Blakk Soul and Big K.R.I.T. and production from Nottz, Apollo Brown and more.
Ilgen-Nur – Power Nap (Power Nap Records)
Pages of Ilgen-Nur’s diary are sung to life in her debut album Power Nap as she recounts love, supermarket visits and romanticizing the simple act of watching TV. It makes for quintessential and essential indie pop listening. Ilgen-Nur leans into a dreamy, velvety voice but also taps into a stronger, angrier side, in line with folk-pop peers. But it’s the 80’s her songs truly capture, channeling The Smith’s on “You’re a Mess” and “Soft Chair.” But we can’t give away every detail, you’ll have to check out Power Nap for yourself.
Jesse Malin – Sunset Kids (Wicked Cool Records)
Americana is reimagined with a bit of hard-hitting rock on Jesse Malin’s latest full-length Sunset Kids. The former punk artist softens his edge when addressing the current cultural climate, with Rolling Stone calling his new apocalyptic single “Meet Me at the End of the World Again” one of the “Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now.” Malin is powerful enough on his own but tapped Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstong for vocals on “Strangers and Thieves” and iconic alt-rocker Lucinda Gayle Williams for production, making Sunset Kids the ultimate rock compilation.
Tune in next week, and keep listening to new music #OutToday.
