Feelings are a superpower. That’s what makes Grant Kwiecinski, or GRiZ, among the grooviest musicians of our time. He zaps his music with electric emotion in a way that resembles the musical fluidity of a composer. His music takes you on a ride through an array of feels—from the heartache of tragedy to thrills of success to celebratory dance party vibes. To have this experiential music available to us during a time in which expressing emotions is seen as fundamentally un-cool is imperative to humanity. Having something that reminds you of how good it feels to express your emotions in the suppressing age of social media is essentially the equivalent of going to church: it wipes your soul clean of anxiety and excess, and fills the gaps with light. Does better music exist to spark up to? (We beg to differ.)
Today, GRiZ released his fifth studio record, Ride Waves, which reveals a distinct facet of Grant’s personality: his social and political awareness. From grieving gun violence to celebrating friends, Ride Waves provides a guided catharsis in which authenticity is urged. The album also boasts high-level collaborations with Wiz Khalifa, Matisyahu, and Snoop Dogg. And it incorporates goosebump-inducing soul thanks to vocals from the Harlem Gospel Choir.
We caught up with Grant/ GRiZ to talk about Ride Waves, how cannabis played into the album creatively, and what it was like working with Wiz, Matisyahu, and more.
High Times: The music video for “A New Day” with Matisyahu is one of the more impactful, serious, and moving music videos I’ve seen in a long time. What made you want to dig so deep for this?
Grant/ GRiZ: It’s important to honor and pay respect to victims of gun violence. I think it is really important to …
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Author: Mary Carreon / High Times
