I’m saying this with sound mind and body – Joyce Kwon‘s Orange Hour is in the top five best albums of 2024. All social media musicians, Gen Z bedroom producers, and aging millennials must listen to this album. These 12 songs show off an audio vision brought forward by the work of 10 contributors. Joyce Kwon is the north star but Ross Garren, Brandon Bae, André de Santanna, Gavin Salmon, Nick DePinna, Hitomi Oba, Jelly, Eunice, and Hanni contribute so much to the creation of Orange Hour.
Orange Hour is a little over 38 minutes but is an epic journey. While the foundations sit in art-infused alternative music, not necessarily rock, but also add in some classical elements, and throw in some choral flourishes, it’s more just a soundtrack to the experience you will have.
It’s also a weird thing because I thought that Joyce Kwon had a lot more releases since Dream of Home in 2018. The gayageum isn’t the focus on the album and acts like another voice. The accents it provides add a lot though, especially on “Empty Ambition.”
Somehow Orange Hour sounds like an album from decades ago remastered for a new audience but also something that’s perfectly contemporary. Also if I’m deciphering it right “Jesus Christ Is Bored” is in 3/4 time which isn’t something I’ve heard since my days in marching band.
If I had to make a comparison, Orange Hour gives the same emotional response as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It’s slightly random with exploration, but every song serves the full album.
But I’ll also say that Orange Hour isn’t for everyone. It’s not for the listener who needs the standard intro-verse-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-outro. It’s also not for the impatient listener. It gives birth and dies in repeat cycles on purpose.
Joyce Kwon’s Orange Hour is a very special album. I congratulate everyone who was a part of it because they have all created something amazing.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.