This past July, Seattle Hip-Hop duo Dark Time Sunshine released their sophomore album, ANX. Since, they’ve been busy on the road promoting, a string of dates that include a 60-plus-date national tour, and today, the duo of rapper Onry Ozzborn and producer Zavala are releasing the album’s latest music video, for the single “Take My Hand,” which features Aesop Rock and Swamburger.

The video, directed by X144, takes the song on a modest yet very entertaining path, offering viewers a look at the lighter side of the tour lives that Dark Time Sunshine has been living over the past months; namely, just chilling back stage on the greenroom couch. In fact, the video was shot in the midst of DTS’ 60-date run with Aesop Rock, which offered some serious challenges for the shoot. “Seeing if X144 was gonna pull it off was interesting because of location and time,” recalls Zavala noting that what made the video so unique was the rarity of Dark Time, Aesop, Swamburger, and X144 all being in the same place at the same time. “It was all just about capturing us while we were having fun on the road, backstage hanging out,” says Zavala. “It was all about timing and spontaneity.”

It’s been an exciting summer for Dark Time Sunshine. The duo, comprised of rapper Onry Ozzborn and producer Zavala, released their sophomore album, ANX, in late July, and since, praise has poured in from the likes of MTV Hive, OkayPlayer, AOL Spinner, and more. The guys have been on tour with Aesop Rock all summer, with nine new Midwest shows added for what has become a 50-plus date national tour; and now, Dark Time Sunshine has partnered with VICE’s music channel Noisey.com to premiere the latest video from ANX, for the song “Valiant.”

“The inspiration behind ‘Valiant’,” explains Onry, “is to strive for regal and majestic living.” Zavala’s beat lays that foundation, with a sound bed both soothing and energetic, that sounds like Black Moth Super Rainbow meets a college drum line and serves as an enrapturing backdrop for Onry’s metaphor-heavy verses. Featured on the song is Dark Time Sunshine’s Fake Four, Inc. label mate, Child Actor, who fit well into the song’s theme, offering what Onry refers to as, “celestial, soft vocals,” to the song’s bridge.

The video, directed, shot, and edited by Max Heath, who makes up one-half of Child Actor, follow in step with the track’s regal and majestic overtones, shot on location at a Medieval mansion, with a stunning, galloping white horse and a falcon, flying full-speed before perching on Zavala’s hand, in what must be the only occurrence of a falcon perching on a hip-hop producer’s hand in a music video in 2012. “Watching Zavala command that falcon’s flight in an open field?” cracks Onry. “Pretty compelling.”

Late last month, Dark Time Sunshine released their sophomore album, ANX. Since then, as Dark Time Sunshine continue their three month, 42-city tour alongside Aesop Rock, acclaim continues to roll in for the album, both from fans, which have viewed DTS’ recent video for “Never Cry Wolf” nearly 30,000 times in the past two weeks, and media, with a recent 89/100 review from OkayPlayer. Today, Dark Time Sunshine is releasing their newest single, “Overlordian,” which features P.O.S.

“Overlordian” is a metaphor-driven affair as Onry Ozzborn and P.O.S trade bars over the song’s three verses, atop Zavala’s sparse, electronic-tinged instrumental as it rises and falls with timely drum-fills. “‘Overlordian’ is a song about having things, taking things, making things that already have an identity yours, and reintroducing them,” explains Onry, somewhat mysteriously. “Having stuff, but explaining that stuff doesn’t matter.”

“Overlordian” features Rhymesayers rapper and Doomtree’s own, P.O.S., a longtime friend and collaborator of Dark Time Sunshine’s, who also just recently announced his own new album, We Don’t Even Live Here. For Dark Time Sunshine, says rapper Onry Ozzborn, P.O.S. was a natural fit for the track, noting a seamless fit, musically. “The song is more ambient,” says Onry, “without any drums until the hook. It seemed like the perfect fit.”

With the July 24th release date for Dark Time Sunshine’s new album, ANX, right around the corner, the duo of rapper Onry Ozzborn and producer Zavala are excited to release their latest single, “Take My Hand”, a track that features Aesop Rock and Swamburger (of Solillaquists of Sound). Accompanying the new single, Dark Time Sunshine is also excited to announce that, as of this week, they’re embarking on a 31-city tour opening for “Take My Hand” guest Aesop Rock.

The goal for “Take My Hand,” according to Dark Time Sunshine, was to make a song that shows depth and style, and for his part, Zavala, with a layering of serene, bubbling synths, eerie vocal samples, and rolling tom-fills, kicks things off nicely. And while Onry and Aesop both impress with their verses (“The most challenging part of the song was having to re-write my verse after hearing Aesop’s,” jokes Onry), the standout lyric comes from Swamburger, who raps, “I am not the one to make sense of it all/ I’m a tourist, a guide/ Walk along and take my hand.” “That lyric sums up the song,” says Onry. “We’re gonna throw a lot at you, but it’s up to you to take it all in, and whatever you get out of it – that’s what it is.”

Aesop Rock just gave us the heads up on a new track from Dark Time Sunshine, whom you might know from their “BelieveYouMe” free EP last year. This comes from the group’s new LP, Vessel, dropping April 20th. And yes, Aes is rhyming….

Dark Time Sunshine + P.O.S. + PeeGee 13 + DJ Zone + Aesop Rock – “Primor” (MP3)