New York singer-songwriter Arsun (Arsun Sorrenti) has shared “Babe I Hear Thunder In Your Heart,” the title track from his debut full length album, due for release March 8th. Modern music with an analog heart, the track captures a classic essence with a Highway 61 Revisited-style arrangement that makes a clear case for why Cat Power tapped him for both the studio and live versions of her celebrated re-creation of Bob Dylan’s Royal Albert Hall concert in 1966.
“I wanted to make a straightforward song that had a nice, clear meaning,” Sorrenti explains while discussing the tune, citing the eternal push-and-pull that is human relationships as his main point of lyrical inspiration. The track’s video, directed by Tasmin Meyer Ersahin, hones in on the song’s loose yet party-ready core, featuring Arsun performing the track amidst similarly stylish New York compatriots in an intimate jam setting.
To celebrate, Arsun is hosting a single and video release party on February 9 at New York’s Nublu Classic in the East Village. Free for all, the show will feature a performance by Arsun and DJ sets by DJ Gemspa, Kasper, Ben Arauz, and Zata & Rick, as well as a screening of the video. Ersahin will also be on hand, documenting the revelry on Super 8 film.
Arsun’s debut is a true culmination of the singer-songwriter’s talent—a record that’s more than five years in the making and reflects Sorrenti’s uncanny ability to conjure classic songwriting in a way that sounds and feels brand new. “I’ve always liked the idea of taking a timeless style of music and trying different things with it—making a unique sound that people haven’t heard before even as it’s still focused on working with traditional instruments and song structures. I want to get to a place where my inspirations are helping me repurpose these human experiences in a fresh and modern way.”
The stylistic sweep of Babe I Hear Thunder In Your Heart is sneakily impressive; this is music with detail and personality. The nine songs are practically a sonic travelogue when it comes to charting Sorrenti’s own musical journey, laying out a map of where he’s been while suggesting that the open road ahead of him is endless with possibility. “I want to get to a place where my inspirations are helping me repurpose these human experiences in a fresh and modern way,” he says. If Babe I Hear Thunder In Your Heart is any indication, Sorrenti’s journey to that point might be shorter than he thinks; if anything, he’s already arrived.
Bopping to Arsun’s “Babe I Hear Thunder In Your Heart”?
