glvsshouse – “Games” + “Again”

By: Shamus Hill

Making his return to the Graduation Music site is glvsshouse, who’s formerly known to listeners as King Kade. This time around, the Quincy native drops off two extremely well-executed singles titled “Games” and “Again”.

“Games”, which utilizes production at the hands of San Antonio’s Julian Skiboat, is a true breath of fresh air. While the lyrical content of the song revolves around moments in life that are anything but pleasant — glvsshouse manages to soar over the vibrant instrumental, helping to instill an overall feeling of optimism. “Again” also takes influence from tumultuous relationship experience, however takes on a much more somber temperament. Establishing an almost yin and yang relationship between the pairing of songs, glvsshouse reminds his fans of just how versatile of an artist he is. Be on the lookout for his upcoming collab EP with Donald Grunge which is set to drop in the coming months.

Listen to both “Games” and “Again” below:

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Donald Grunge – “Cantaloupe” (Prod. Jonny Doobs)

By: Shamus Hill

Chelsea’s Donald Grunge makes his long-awaited return to the Graduation Music site today with an incredibly hypnotic offering titled “Cantaloupe”.

Serving as the first addition to his discography since the December 2018 release of his ‘Cowboy Talk’ project, “Cantaloupe” features a soft-spoken, poised Grunge who makes use of some highly meticulous wordplay and melodies. Jonny Doobs was tasked with production here, and similar to their collaboration on “Time After Time” — “Cantaloupe” aligns as a solid example of Grunge’s multi-faceted artistry. Capable of making both boisterous, high-energy records alongside tracks that can accurately depict some of the more somber moments of life — there’s truly no telling which direction Grunge will take with each new addition to his musical catalog. No matter which path he takes, one thing remains consistent, and it’s that Donald Grunge simply fails to miss. Hopefully “Cantaloupe” is proof that the Chelsea native has more to come as 2019 comes to a close.

Listen to “Cantaloupe” below:

Donald Grunge – “Cowboy Talk” [Official Music Video]

By: Shamus Hill

Graduation Music’s favorite cowboy, Donald Grunge, recruited the talents of John Rawl to assist in bringing his first music video to life.

“Cowboy Talk” served as the intro to Donald Grunge’s debut project, Cowboy Talk, and since its release towards the end of 2018 its remained undeniably formidable. Every single component of it has endured the test of time, with it being arguably the best project to come out of Massachusetts since Cousin Stizz’s Suffolk County. Whatever your opinion may be, one thing persists, and it’s that Donald Grunge refuses to fly under anyone’s radar. Seemingly everyday now he reveals a new snippet of a track that somehow sounds better than the last, and he continuously teases at collaboration projects with some of the Bay State’s finest artists. To say that his 2019 is going to be a successful one would be a vast understatement. We’re tremendously excited to see what he has to offer as the year continues.

Watch the official music video for “Cowboy Talk” below:

JORD4NEVERDIED ft. Donald Grunge & Connis – “Pedicure”

By: Shamus Hill

JORD4NEVERDIED recently recruited Donald Grunge and Connis to assemble an infectious single titled “Pedicure”.

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Both Grunge and Connis float harmoniously atop some dazzling production at the hands of JORD4NEVERDIED, helping to raise the bar for Massachusetts artists in 2019. The duo utilize this track to gift fans a bit of an insight into their mindset as they brace for the coming year. Artists across the state have been building-up their skillsets, however Grunge and Connis remind everyone of just how high-up on the food chain they are.

Donald Grunge closed his 2018 on a high-note, working alongside some of Massachusetts’ best artists and releasing his debut album, Cowboy Talk. Quickly following in his footsteps is Connis, a native of Cambridge, Mass, who’s gearing up to release his new project titled Conn(is) this year. JORD4NEVERDIED worked equally as hard as these two throughout the last year, establishing a name for himself producing for his group, Froze.40, and a long list of others, whilst releasing music of his own. Be sure to pay attention to these three, as they’re showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever. In a nutshell, “Pedicure” is a telltale sign of what’s next to come for JORD4NEVERDIED, Donald Grunge, and Connis.

Listen to “Pedicure” below:

Artist: Donald Grunge + Connis

Production: JORD4NEVERDIED

Cover Art: Patrick Hicks

Donald Grunge – “CowboyTalk”

By: Seamus Fay

From “Guitar Grunge” back in July to “Snake In My Boot” last month and most recently, “Henny Sippa“, 2018 has been a monumental year for Donald Grunge. One release after another, he’s been honing in on his craft, and as a result, we’ve seen some of his most creatively ambitious releases to date in recent months. Needless to say, Grunge is on a win streak right now, and today, he takes all of this energy and puts it toward the release of his long-awaited, highly-anticipated new project, CowboyTalk.

Taking on a Western theme, this tape is eccentric from the cover art all the way to the final seconds of its last song. Grunge pours his heart out into 7 highly-passionate, energetic cuts, leaving it all on the court as he puts forth a noticeably refined version of the “on my own terms” artistry that we’ve grown to love over the years. With production at the hands of local talents including Mike Hector, David Walker, JORD4NEVERDIED, Chris Tophr, Jonny Doobs, Maka, and Humbeats, CowboyTalk picked on a dream team of names to make up its roster, and without a doubt, it paid off. Donald Grunge is here, and he’s here to stay.

StreamCowboyTalk at the link provided below:

Artwork by @gregisonfire

FAbzabove – “Henny Sippa” ft. Donald Grunge & Splash Got’Em [Music Video]

By: Seamus Fay

If you’re looking for some energy to get you through the week, look no further than FAbzabove’s “Henny Sippa”. Anthemic in its nature and addictive in its excitable presence, this song is making waves all throughout Boston right now, and in order to complement this success, FAbz is here to drop off the accompanying visuals via ELEVATOR. Alongside Donald Grunge and Splash Got’Em, this track is proven to have shut down venues (the video has proof), and the music video is ready to spread this hype from Boston to the rest of the world. 

With this, thanks to direction and videography from the all-star himself, Xandros, “Henny Sippa” perfectly captures the ways in which this release has continuously made waves throughout its city of origin. Each of the three artists on the song are known in Boston for their talents, and the firepower that arises from a collaboration between the trio is simply indescribable — just listen to the verses for proof. I could talk about this song and music video all day long, but the point is, “Henny Sippa” is a rallying point for Boston, so let’s treat it as such.

Check out the ELEVATOR-premiered visuals below!

Produced by Maka

Recorded and Mixed by Triple Beam Brad

Donald Grunge – “Snake In My Boot [Prod. Mike Hector)]

By: Seamus Fay

Looking back at some of the Massachusetts artists who really proved their worth in 2018, Donald Grunge needs to be at the top of the list. The eclectic, hyper-creative rising talent never fails to trust his ear for making great music, and consequently, this characteristic has led to some truly impressive additions to Grunge’s catalog in recent months. Today, en route to the 11/30 release of his new project, Donald Grunge is making sure that fans control their anticipation, using an appetizer of a single entitled “Snake In My Boot” to do the trick as we count down the days until the full course.

Produced by none other than Mike Hector, this track uses a simplistic melody and bass-heavy, hard-nosed drum patterns to lay the ground for Grunge’s ranging set of cadences. As always, this choice of production brings out the best in Grunge, as he rides the instrumental with a wide variety of tones and flows to match such compelling lyricism. “Snake In My Boot” proves that we’re about to receive Grunge’s finest work to date, and personally, I can’t wait.

Mixed & Mastered by @BradFeeneyProd

JGONTHEKEYS – ‘PLANET JG!’ [Mixtape]

By: Seamus Fay

Playing a crucial role behind the boards and bringing so many artists’ sounds to life, JGONTHEKEYS is, and has been for some time now, an essential figure in the development of Boston’s music scene. His work boasts collaborations between a number of the city’s finest talents, and always known to snap on any project he embarks on, JG is here to bring this prowess full circle today with a compilation tape, PLANET JG!. As noted by the title, this project brings names including Connis, Giuseppe Love, Donald Grunge, Pistola, SK85!, Trismuh, DK, BROKECH1C, and Pe$o Boii into an entirely new world of sound and sonic direction, all of which is orchestrated at the skillful hands of JGONTHEKEYS.

8 tracks long and allowing for introductions to so many of Massachusetts’ best-kept secrets, JG’s latest marks a defining moment of community for Boston’s music scene, and it surely presents the city’s talent in the best light possible. By taking matters into his own hands, this hitmaking producer is working toward the progression and embracement of local talent one heater at a time, tightening up the loose ends and maximizing the potential of every artist he works with. Needless to say, PLANET JG! is something special; beyond himself, he really did his thing in bringing up those around him with this one, and for that, we have to appreciate his success.

Stream the new project at the link below!

Additional Production by @prodchristophr @KorHefBeatz @lilzooooom

Pistola – “Coupes N’ Boof” [Prod. Donald Grunge]

By: Seamus Fay

Over the past few years in Boston, we’ve seen a number of rising talents take the spotlight and put on for the city, but few have done it in a way as unique and special as Pistola. Crafting numerous cult classics in the city as well as turning heads all over the world with songs like “P.I.S.T.O.L.A.” and “Swang” (which eventually received the remix treatment alongside DRAM), Stola has managed to make some serious waves in his career, and today, he is sure to keep this going. While we haven’t heard from the rising star in a minute, he’s back and better than ever with a brand new song, “Coupes N’ Boof”.

Produced by Donald Grunge (who has been killing it on the boards as of late, by the way), this offering makes its presence known as an absolute banger right off the bat, featuring one of the hardest beats that I’ve heard all year long. The bass clashes with Stola’s galvanizing deliveries in a way that yields nothing but energy, and the lyrics are kept simple so that this song can easily live up to its full potential and shut down venues, one after another. “Coupes N’ Boof” is as hard as it gets, letting us all know that Pistola is picking up right where he left off.

Don’t sleep, listen at the link below and follow Pistola’s new SoundCloud here!

Connis – “Tall Model B*tch” ft. Maka, FAbzabove, Gogo, & Donald Grunge [Prod. Maka]

By: Seamus Fay

One of the main criticisms of the Massachusetts music scene right now is that instead of coming together and collaborating, artists see everything as a competition and are hesitant to embrace the sense of “community” that people are looking for. Regardless of your thoughts on the criticism, it’s always refreshing to see this concept of collaboration come to fruition, and today, this is perfectly exemplified with Connis’ brand new song, “Tall Model B*tch”. Bringing together the names of Maka, FAbzabove, Gogo, and Donald Grunge, this one represents a special moment for Massachusetts, and rightfully so, the music follows up with a high level of quality to match.

Produced by the hitmaker himself, Maka, “Tall Model B*tch”`finds its energy within an endless supply of playful flows as well an electric melody. The beat is simplistic, but by matching the hard-hitting bass with lyrical acrobatics from every single artist on the song, it comes through as immensely powerful. There doesn’t exist one unimpressive verse on “Tall Model B*tch”, and with every single artist going as hard as they possibly can, it goes without saying that Connis’ latest is going to do serious numbers — plus, you can pretty much already tell that this track performed live might just shut down a venue on any given night.

That said, listen at the link below and embrace the sight of so many Mass-based artists coming together on one song!

Donald Grunge – “Worth It”

By: Seamus Fay

As I’m sure all of our readers remember, Graduation Music favorite Donald Grunge took over the summer this year with his unbelievable single, “Guitar Grunge” (which remains one of the best songs out of MA this year, in my opinion). Ever since the song’s release, it seems as though Grunge has been cooped up in the studio on a creative high, and today, we receive a manifestation of this with his brand new, self-produced offering, “Worth It”. While noted to be a freestyle on Twitter, this song clearly shows that the Massachusetts talent is making some of the best music of his career, and for that, we couldn’t be more thankful.

That said, Donald Grunge has always been the kind of artist who is able to lock into a certain creative space when he needs to. As shown in his latest, he locks into this space with passionate deliveries, offering impulsive lyricism and bellowing vocal runs that truly bring to fruition the full range of talent that we know and love him for. Grunge gets lost in the beat and for lack of a better word, is absolutely on fire for all of this song’s 3-minute duration.

I could go on about this one all day, but by the excitement of my words, you should check out “Worth It” for yourself. Click play at the link below and keep an eye out for more from Donald Grunge hopefully arriving in the near future!

NSFW – “NSFW In Order” ft. RAMS, Donald Grunge, Fat P [Prod. Maka]

By: Seamus Fay

Banding together to form one of the most exciting, creative groups out of Boston in recent memory, NSFW is dead set on making their presence known as artists. The wide scope of talents and ideas that they bring to the table is unlike any other, and consequently, these rising talents are on a fast track to great notoriety with their infectious wave of ingenuity. Today, we see these attributes on full display with the group’s latest release — a brand new single entitled “NSFW In Order”.

Featuring RAMS, Donald Grunge, and Fat P, this offering acts as a loud proclamation of prowess from the group. They use a thunderous, slightly chaotic background of production courtesy of Maka in order to fully communicate this shared, galvanizing energy, and in doing so, “NSFW In Order” comes across as an absolute banger. It builds walls just to break them down, demonstrates immense power, and most impactfully, does so in a charismatic fashion that any listener can latch onto. NSFW is ready to take the top, so be sure to keep an eye out for them in the future and listen to their latest single at the link below!