GARZI never was truly a rapper. Not in the traditional sense anyhow.
Videos by American Songwriter
To be clear, we’re not to say he can’t rap. It’s more an instance where when you get into the core of who GARZI is, rap isn’t what shaped him. A product of the emo-punk scene, GARZI grew up immersed in the music of his Warped Tour heroes like Blink-182, Front Porch Step, Of Mice & Men and Memphis May Fire.
Maybe that’s why he sounds the way he does.
With true vocals that deserve to be showcased as opposed to just a voice that needs to be heard, Garzi has regrouped. After a solid launch in rap and hip hop, GARZI made the conscious decision to refocus his music, taking it in a slightly different direction that involved more than just dropping the ‘Yung’ off his name.
Case in point; his new song “Sick Of Me” is demonstrative evidence of that decision.
Created in collaboration with rock veterans like John Feldmann of Goldfinger (who co-produced/co-wrote the entire record), and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has a different flavor than his previous work. The guitars are up front. The beats have become more groovish. And the vocals? The vocals are so anthemic and powerful they don’t just kick down the door, they splinter it.
With his childhood idol Barker on drums and him on the mic, sonically the tune is exactly what GARZI was going for. As for the message within, it wrenches out a story of a relationship in crisis. A relationship between two people, as much as his relationship with himself.
“I just want people to relate and know they aren’t alone,” says GARZI. “I was in a weird place with myself where I had been making questionable choices and in complicated relationships, so the song just took on a form of its own.”
Recorded at Feldmann’s home studio in California, GARZI was able to concoct a sound that many have attempted but few have achieved. Unique in flavor thanks to his one-of-a-kind vocals, GARZI managed to firmly plant himself inside his alt-rock roots while not entirely turning his back on the rap / hip hop world that also resides within his heart.
“This tape is in an entirely different world than my last one, but that’s what makes creating music fun. I hope people can stop trying to classify music and just enjoy it and use these songs to get them through any tough situation they may be going through.”
