Dark Time Sunshine, Ceschi, Mic King, Obeah

Dark Time Sunshine

Nine years after the release of their critically acclaimed ANX, Dark Time Sunshine is back with their third full-length, Lore. Comprising Seattle emcee Onry Ozzborn (Grayskul, Oldominion) and Chicago producer

Zavala, DTS have been on the cutting edge of indie hip hop since 2009, behind genre-bending production and a heady lyrical approach all their own. Lore builds on the psych-rap foundation of their previous efforts while shifting into new terrain that incorporates the aesthetics each artist

has explored in recent years, and the end product is an album brimming

with hope.

Since ANX, we've seen Onry drop several solo projects (Tantrum, Nervous Hand, etc.) as well as a Grayskul album alongside longtime comrade JFK. In 2017, Zavala dropped Fantasmas, an electronic

departure that led to NPR calling him "a messenger of sonic relief." The two spoke often of making another Dark Time Sunshine record, but the pieces didn't fall into place until 2020, when a particular batch of beats

Zavala sent Onry's way resonated with a new, hard-won headspace that the emcee found himself in. Onry wrote all of Lore between May and August 2020.

Having already endured a difficult few years battling personal demons and health struggles within the family, Onry was probably more prepared than most for the chaos of 2020. His resilience shines through on Lore. “What a wonderful display of determination to make it out of

hell,” he raps on “Hell Nah” over a lush, spacey Zavala backdrop. You can practically hear the weight lifting from his shoulders on many tracks, and especially on “Ayemen”, the album’s emotional core. The song is pure triumph over adversity, with an infectious hook buoyed by a

crystalline Zavala collage. “Broken before / But never again” becomes a mantra.

Continuing the trilogy of Ceschi collabs that begins each of Dark Time Sunshine’s full-lengths, the rapper/singer makes a frantic cameo on “Lore”, setting the stage for an 11-track odyssey that also features guest

shots from R.A.P. Ferreira, Homeboy Sandman, and Hail Mary Mallon.

Ferreira and Sandman appear on "Rite Kids", a sequel of sorts to "The Wrong Kids" from DTS's debut EP Believeyoume. The trio ruminates on nature vs. nurture and stresses the importance of both strong parental guidance and allowing kids the space to thrive on their own intuition.

Ceschi

Ceschi's music lives in some liminal space between left field hip hop, folk punk and indie rock, and has earned him a cult following within the indie rap and DIY punk communities. Sans Soleil is the immediate follow-up to Ceschi’s 2019 fan-favorite album Sad, Fat Luck, which has received praise and nods from Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop, Hip Hop DX, Pop Matters, Northern Transmissions, VEVO, Talkhouse, Myke C Town of Dead End Hip Hop and more. As Hip Hop DX puts Ceschi’s sound, “his emotions pour through every syllable.” Sans Soleil is a politically savvy record with an endless palette of samples and top-tier collaborators including Yoni of WHY?, P.O.S., Open Mike Eagle, Onry Ozzborn, Squalloscope, and Ceschi’s longtime collaborator and producer Factor Chandelier. Available on vinyl, limited edition picture disk vinyl, CD, and cassette, this sequel album is bound to solidify Ceschi’s standing as a force to be reckoned with in independent music.