Be positive, be wholesome, be brilliant, don’t just be good, be well. The Modern Day puts an awful lot of pressure on us to be the most manicured versions of ourselves possible, but there’s another emerging wisdom…One that Garzi has tapped into with his brand new single ‘Mess’, feat. Sleeping With Siren’s Kellin Quinn – one of embracing the natural messes we may be, and everything that goes along with it.
Garzi could very well be the Patron Saint of embracing your own personal mess, given he’s a shining example of the possibilities that await on the other side. Having weaned himself off the fuel of what is expected of him, and swapping it for a fuel of what he expects of himself, Garzi has found a whole new paradigm from which to create.
However, what he creates from there, is far from messy. ‘Mess’ (Feat. Sleeping With Siren’s Kellin Quin) is a cohesive union of hip-hop, punk and emo sensibilities seamlessly layered together. Bitey, pointy and angular, Mess is nothing short of a flex from Garzi who’s developed a knack for bringing sonic worlds together like it ain’t no thing, sending a chill down the spine of all those who consider themselves his peers.
Following the release of the track, he was good enough to talk BLUNT through how it all came together.
The last time we spoke was following your collaboration with Travis Barker; it’s been a minute between drinks, but Garzi is back!
A lot of people are in that weird place. I was putting music out in 2020 independently. I dropped the one song at the beginning of 2021 and I was just like, I think I just need a break, a mental break from everything, I just want to reboot.
It was just so fast and so new that I didn’t really understand any of it. I was learning as I went so I couldn’t really see thing for what it was at the time. Now, I’m a little more seasoned, I’m older, I’m smarter, I’m wiser. I also just make a point to enjoy things more now; Because I let little things bother me and I just try to let all that go now.
You’ve signed to new management, dropped a big new collaboration project with Kellin Quinn, from the outside looking in it does seem as though Garzi is at the convergence point as an artist where hard work meets opportunity…
You definitely get what you put in. You got to be planning things and really just understanding the way you’re moving also. You want to be strategic with it, but definitely at some point there’s only so much you can control, you got to let life just take over and do its thing. If it’s meant for you bro things will gradually just fall into place, and I feel that’s just what’s been happening lately so, I’m grateful.
‘Mess (featuring Kellin Quinn)’ is a refreshing take in this day and age given that it leans in to the mess of reality, rather than shuns it. I’d love to know your experience with mess. When did you as a person decide to start embracing your mess?
That’s a good question bro, that’s a good question man.
I feel growing up I always tried to be just clean on paper. I like to think I’m a good guy, I treat people well. All that, but I feel a lot of people are showing you what they want you to see and I feel I just got over all that a long time ago before I even started making music….
I used to be in college and I feel I was trying so hard to keep up, put on this image that I fit in, I’m cool and life is good and I just realized that everyone is just faking as much as I am and it’s not worth it. It was just taking too much time and energy and I was focused on the wrong things bro, instead of what I should be focused on. At that point, I really just said, I’m going to make me happy and I feel from that point I started embracing the mess in life, just accepting myself and accepting life for what it is bro.
What are the benefits of embracing the mess – How did it make your life a better place?
I’m much happier as a whole, I get to do what I want, I don’t wake up at 9:00 AM go to a job, you know what I mean? I get to do what I love every day that’s honestly the best part, I don’t have to pretend to be anyone I’m not, don’t have to put up a front. I don’t have to be stuck doing something in a repetitive cycle for the rest of my life that, how the fuck did I get here? Nah bro, I took the chance, and I got out of my comfort zone and it led to where I wanted to be type shit.
Talk me through how you and Kellin got in touch?
I literally just DM’d him bro. He responded, I was like oh, shit! He’s like, ‘yeah dude, let’s get it’.
It’s super surreal to work with these guys man. You grew up listening to them, you see them all the time it’s just like, damn. Now I’m really in the room it’s just crazy. I was watching Travis Barker throw down the drums live. I got to meet Kellin and everything face to face.
I’ve literal been listening to Sleeping With Siren since I was in the eighth grade. But I remember I remember my friend showing me, If You Can’t Hang on his iPod and I was like dude, what is this bro? Those are the moments that make it worth it, it feels like them, this is what I’m doing it for, you feel me?
I’m a big advocate for meeting your idols. Just being in the same room as these dudes, you must get some of their genius. Does that happen? Do you sort of walk away a bit of a better artist?
Yeah, definitely bro. I feel you’re more motivated to go crazy because you want to be on their level. It’s a chance, you don’t want to blow the chance, you want to make sure that you’re putting it to good use and you’re making it do the most that it can.
I feel this collaboration is really indicative of the ‘New Normal’ for music. Established artists connecting with emerging ones, worlds colliding…Are you noticing an openness to new ideas from your peers?
I feel like there were just a lot of weird emotions. I don’t know if that directly led to the revival of this music or what; I feel it’s something that’s been in the motion for a little while now, it’s been just slowly building up and obviously the last year or so has been a really big increase and so I’m excited about that, the fact that this kind music is coming back because this is what I grew up on.
My brother was the rap head, I was the little emo kid. I’m really excited for this music to be coming back because that’s just what I love bro. So I’m excited for that, I’m excited for all the shows and concerts and future festivals, I’m excited for all the good that’s going to come bro because I know things are just going to get better from here to be honest.
