— Decatur-based duo thefamilyorchestra have delivered their official debut self-titled project, thefamilyorchestra.
As individuals, Allen Thomas and Niah Lyrical have each made waves in Atlanta’s underground hip-hop scene. Their unique approaches matched with their undeniable skill sets have, in fact, made them local favorites. With that being said, when the two came together as thefamilyorchestra some incredible music was sure to follow. Sure enough, after working together for quite some time, the group has now released their first official project.
Thefamilyorchestra’s self-titled album, thefamilyorchestra, is a brilliant piece of work from start to finish.The album’s production along with its sequencing alone help it to hold its own in a world where content is everywhere, but originality — not so much. The velvety smooth lo-fi production peppered with well-placed samples and skits would easily make thefamilyorchestra an enjoyable instrumental project, but Allen and Niah had other plans.
The performing artists, despite already overachieving in the production department, left nothing to be debated when it came to their bars. Much to our delight, the eclectic duo gave us every vibe we needed in just 11 short songs. Thefamilyorchestra featured ballad-like tracks such as “Mutual”, “Know Ya Do”, and “Trapeze” with just as many croons as punchlines while also delivering introspective ‘rainy day’ raps like those in “Sylvia’s Path” and “I Think”. Still, the versatile lyricists were also able to give us upbeat and energetic verses on tracks like “Why So Serious” and “Niah’s Beat” while also enlisting the services of fellow Atlanta rising stars, King Cooley and Nahncenz, on “Cerebro” and “G4” respectively.
With such a great project officially available for public consumption, it will be exciting to see where thefamilyorchestra goes from here. Until then, I’ll be content with adding thefamilyorchestra to my ‘wake ‘n bake’ and ‘sunday afternoon’ playlists. I’d advise you to do the same.
Check out the full thefamiilyorchestra album right here and be sure to follow thefamilyorchestra on Instagram to stay up to date with their latest happenings.