Ormiston succeeds on futuristic debut LP, "Hammer Down"
Groovy, funky, and futuristic, Ormiston’s debut album titled Hammer Down is everything we didn’t know we needed in our lives. Do yourselves a favor and read along for our featured review of the record, in addition to a background on the artist as well.
Originally from Montreal, Canada, Ormiston has been getting serious about music since around 2013 when he was helping to mix and produce tracks for Milk & bone, Heartstreets, Misage, and Freida Mari. After signing with Canadian record label Lisbon Lux Records in 2020, everything has been perfectly set in motion. Hammer Down has positively blown us away and is 100% worthy of your time and energy.
Coming in at 8 distinct songs, Ormiston has taken us on more of a musical experience and journey than a plain old listen. While there were certainly single-specific highlights like “Step From The Limelight” or “Rebel”, the artist pulls you into his universe as things kick off on the album opener, “Foreign Travels”. As much as each song could be listened to in its own separate right, it’s one of those rare start to finish album experiences that are coming few and far between these days.
Blasting off to space and holding on tight, Hammer Down is not only special in its atmospheric qualities, rather its lyrical themes as well. Ormiston is exploring love stories, failed relationships, and the ultimate growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood. As jaw dropping as everything sounds, don’t get too wrapped up in the sound before you completely forget about the context, it’s worth giving a much closer and focused listen than you think.
Full of electronic beats, commanding vocals from the artist, and its seemingly never ending feeling of euphoria, we have to again highly recommend a listen to Hammer Down. For a debut record like this, it’s actually going to be difficult to follow it up with something more innovative. With the amount of experience that Ormiston holds however, it’s something we’ll certainly be looking forward to in the coming months or years. Obviously no rush to the artist, soak in the accomplishments of what you’ve made here, it’s fantastic.
For all things Ormiston, to listen, and to follow along for all future releases and information, please check out the following links listed below.
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