Past Releases

Chris Rivers "G.I.T.U. (Mello)"

G.I.T.U. (Mello Music) is the debut album from Chris Rivers, son of the late rapper Big Pun. Crisp beats oscillate between the classic sounds his father would have rapped over and hi-hat triplets galore for the modern rap fans-but the focus here is Chris’ smooth, lyrical delivery. As Chris says about the album “it traverses my mental state, life experiences, loves had and lost, stories and my overcoming of obstacles both external and internal while learning to love myself and becoming the best version of who I could be.” Check out the heartbreaking tribute to his late father with “Sincerely Me.”

Joell Ortiz "Monday (Mello)"

For all I know, Joell Ortiz and Garfield the cat have tons of stuff in common. I have no idea if Joell loves lasagna, hates Nermal, or sits AROUND the house. But I do know one thing on which they diverge… Joell Ortiz LOVES Mondays. They feel like a new beginning to him every week. Dtill though, I would hope Garfield would like Joell’s hype beats and rhymes more than his least-favorite day. After all, Joell has a way of staying positive even in adversity here, uplifting himself and others with his obviously positive outlook. Even if he’s pissed, he’s still doing his best. It says in the PR for Monday (Mello) that he doesn’t want to seem like a superhero here despite his long career, but like a working man that keeps his head down and goes to work. Nod along to the anthemic “Captain.”

Tessa Violet "Bad Ideas (Act 1)"

 

“Dad why are YOU listening to her” are some of my favorite words I like to hear….and yes that did happen when I was listening to Tessa Violet.  I mean, she is an insanely talented singer/songwriter who just happens to be an insanely popular You Tube personality and one of those people who has lots of instagram followers.  No, I’m not trying to gaslight you (ok that gets a kid eye roll), but Tessa is the real deal-just imagine all thing that make upbeat indie pop the best, mixed with all those Taylor Swift earworms. Not to mention, she might be the smartest kid in the room? Her very 2019 release plan is as follows: releasing the album one song at a time over the next year and a half, split into three EPs:Bad IdeasACT I, ACT II, and ACT III. So that gives us “Bad Ideas (Act1), and I love the idea of that! So for now dig into “Crush!”

Jay Som "Anak Ko (Polyvinyl)"

Melina Duterte, aka here as Jay Som, cites the “lush, poppy sounds of 80s bands such as Prefab Sprout, the Cure, and Cocteau Twins” for her turn towards that sort of sound on her stellar new album Anak Ko(Polyvinyl). Yes, she still records most of the parts by herself, at home (though she has a bit of help here from a few friends-including Laetitia Tamko, Justus Proffit, and her washer and dryer for a little ambience in places-eat your heart out Matmos!) this is the pure distillation of her sound turning ever more shimmery-and I couldn’t be more into this new sound. For the perfect example of it check out the jangly “Superbike.”