‘Conn(is)’ Album Review

By: Shamus Hill

Packing the entirety of his life experience into an incredibly well-written, mesmerizing debut album is Connis. Anywhere you’ve looked this week, individuals from Massachusetts and beyond have rallied around the Cambridge native’s Conn(is) — with it being one of the most thorough projects to come out of the state in recent years.

Connis’ career dates back nearly a decade to when he was making music with friends simply for the joy of doing so. From the jump, Connis’ goal has been to provide his listeners with his truest sense of self, while at the same time elevating the people around him and subsequently the music scene in Cambridge. He’s released several projects throughout his tenure as an artist, however Conn(is) is the first to really satisfy the “debut album” label.

From start to finish, Conn(is) vividly captures the instances within Connis’ life that have assisted in molding him into the individual he currently is. He possesses the ability to intricately detail the situations he’s experienced with true precision, which at times can be uplifting and at other times gut-wrenching. No matter the basis of content, Connis doesn’t shy away from dictating exactly what he’s endured. Listening through this project almost feels as if you’re reading his personal journal — each entry tells a vastly different tale, yet flows seamlessly into the next.

“Still Here”, “Stubble”, and “Change Me” were some personal standouts off of Conn(is) for me, as each capture a variety of emotions that are difficult to put into words. With each listen, you really get to know who Connis is, which is something that lacks in a lot of the music released at this point in time. He’s made a name for himself by being himself, and for that Connis will always remain a formidable artist. I honestly can’t say enough about this album, as it will ultimately end up being one of the most memorable projects to ever come out of Massachusetts — and this isn’t an overstatement in the slightest bit. Experience it for yourself if you have not yet.

Watch the short film that Connis released prior to his album dropping here!

Listen to Conn(is) below:

CLICK HERE TO STREAM VIA SPOTIFY/APPLE MUSIC

Features: soap.wav, Packy Marciano, Gogo., Rothstein, Macse

Production: Connis, Amir Rivera, Ricky Sour, Shepard, Yang, BBJ, DOC, Elijah Fox

Mix/Master: Rafael Moure + Connis

Executive Producer: Connis + Grant Baker

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Gogo. – “Sauced.” (Prod. Rilla Force)

By: Shamus Hill

In order to properly celebrate his birthday today, Gogo. just unleashed an intoxicating single titled “Sauced.”.

As mentioned during our coverage of soap.wav’s “Did It Again”, Cambridge has quickly become an important hotbed for music within the state of Massachusetts. Gogo. is one of the artists from Cambridge that’s been working tirelessly to maintain his city’s notoriety. Possessing a catalog of music full of alluring bops that take influence from a wide variety of genres, “Sauced.” is only the most recent addition to Gogo.’s already powerful discography.

Rilla Force, who was recently featured on Jymmy Kafka’s “Still There”, showcases exactly why he’s one of the most recruited producers in Massachusetts on this release. The electronic, dancehall-rooted instrumental suits perfectly on Gogo., who makes use of “Sauced.” to exhibit his braggadocios, confident state of mind. He’s more than aware of his talents, and is determined to make 2019 the year that everyone knows exactly who he is.

Listen to “Sauced.” below:

soap.wav – “Did It Again” (Prod. bby._j)

By: Shamus Hill

Making use of some ethereal production at the hands of bby J, soap.wav’s “Did It Again” is yet another canorous release out of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This highly-listenable track is soap.wav’s second to drop in 2019, with both showcasing the voracious mindset that the young artist possesses going into this year. With new music popping-up daily from seemingly every corner of the state, individuals like soap.wav have done an amazing job at solidifying Cambridge as one of the more prominent cities in the Bay State with respect to music. There’s an overarching mellifluous sound that can be derived from the majority of Cambridge releases, and soap.wav only helps to reinforce this statement on “Did It Again”. Both soap and bby J put their best foot forward here, so be sure to give this release undivided attention.

Listen to “Did It Again” below:

soap.wav – “Top Down” [Video]

By: Shamus Hill

Gracing the Graduation Music site again today is soap.wav, this time with both the audio and visuals for a brand-new release titled “Top Down”. Tapping in BT Livin to help bring his vision to life, soap.wav wants listeners to understand that he’s coming with a furious energy in 2019. Perhaps his most potent track to date, “Top Down” helps add an additional layer atop soap.wav’s artistry.

Chris Tophr is the man responsible for the production on “Top Down”, giving this track a really hypnotic, yet buoyant sound that soap.wav floats over. Possessing a long-list of songs that achieve a variety of heights, “Top Down” unleashes an entirely new layer of soap.wav that his listeners haven’t been exposed to before. The Cambridge-native is yet another example of just how talented the city is, and is looking to build upon his strengths even more as the year continues.

Watch the video for “Top Down” below:

Soap.wav – “This Side” ft. Connis (Prod. Ricky Sour)

By: Shamus Hill 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the music coming out of Cambridge, MA right now is nothing short of stellar. This statement rings true again with soap.wav’s latest release of “This Side” featuring Connis. Ricky Sour came through with a dreamy production job, which assists soap.wav in achieving yet another melodic hit along the way.

I was first exposed to soap.wav and Ricky Sour through their track “Relate”, which, similar to “This Side”, quickly became a record that I had in constant rotation. Soap.wav’s ability to achieve sonic heights, while at the same time remaining lyrically sound, is something that has really attracted me to his discography. He continues this effort on “This Side”, making an extremely catchy song with descriptive lyrics that hip you to what his team is all about.

Soap.wav takes some time to show love towards those in his life who haven’t switched-up on him despite all that he’s endured. He’s aware of his potential and what his future holds, however, he doesn’t forget who was always there for him. Acting as an ode to what we all strive for in life with respect to those who have always held us down, Soap.wav really delivered with this one.

Featured on “This Side” is Cambridge-native Connis (Connor Donovan), who happens to be another one of my favorite rising artists from the Boston area. He’s an extremely talented rapper who incorporates both fun and realism into his lyrics, coming through to help reinforce the fact that both soap.wav and himself are loyal to their side. Props to soap.wav, Ricky Sour, and Connis for coming together once again to produce an amazing output.

Stream “This Side” below:

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