South London multimedia artist YV SHELLS‘ single, ‘LOSS’ sees him taking his Neo-Soul and Punk influences to a new level, creating a totally mesmerising sound.
Produced and directed by Yv himself, LOSS deals with the destructive nature of addiction to another person or a substance. Romantic riffs and punchy drums portray how the mind can be fooled into staying in a bad situation. He details the push and pull of abuse, using his captivating vocals to tell the tale. . YV shares: “LOSS is a reflection on an addictive relationship and looking at how you can lose yourself in these situations. It’s a song about trying to separate the bad from the good and the paradoxical nature of wanting to stay in a bad situation.”
Born and raised in South London, Yvonne Shelling (his mother was hoping for a girl) makes music that combines his creative and chaotic energy with a sincere message: love honestly. A true multi-hyphenate, his talents extend beyond music to film, art and photography, having been featured in and supported by the V&A and Venice Film Festival.
Inspired by the likes of Bon Iver, Frank Ocean and Joy Division, it was during times of isolation in the pandemic that Yv started to experiment with playing the piano and began exploring new sounds. He enjoys bringing experimentation to the stage with a range of tracks that span Reggae/Dub to Rock and RnB.
Check check the video for YV Shells’ epic single below…
After rocking the blog with singles, ‘Peruvian Encrusted Swordfish’, ‘Detlet, plus album ‘Dream Team: A Stokely Hathaway Joint’, all of which he collaborated with good friend and rapper Jihad Scorcese, it’s great to catch up with producer JASON GRIFF to discuss his debut album‘Fireside Chats‘ – and also to remember Scorcese, who sadly passed away in January.
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
JG: Thank you! It got off to a rough start two weeks in when Scorcese passed away. It was, and still is, hard to bounce back from that, but I’m handling it as best I can. Other than that, it’s been pretty good.
NLM: You recently released your debut album, ‘Fireside Chats’ back in May. What is the public perception on the project so far?
JG: So far everyone seems to really like it. I got a lot of praise and coverage from outlets that had not really shown any love in the past so that’s exciting. I’m sure a lot of people hate it too but I haven’t heard much of that and it probably wouldn’t phase me anyways.
NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
JG: It’s a punk rock-inspired hip-hop album. But it’s not a bunch of corny mash-ups, it sounds like a rap album. You can enjoy it if you’re not in to punk at all.
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
JG: When I was a teenager I was heavy in the punk scene, going to shows all the time. I got older and started making beats so I had the idea to combine my two favorite genres.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
JG: There’s 2. “Adapt” feat. Alaska is one because he really killed that beat and gave me a lot to play with and take it to the next level. The other is “Summer of Punk” feat. Scorcese. He really did the work on that one. The first version he did was cool but I gave him a bunch of research to do and he ended up referencing all those bands throughout the song.
NLM: The album features a host of promising rappers, including Scorcese (who sadly pass away in January 2021). What was it like working with him?
JG: He was like a rap personal trainer, always pushing you to take it up a notch to the next level. I wouldn’t be releasing music in 2021 if I hadn’t met him.
NLM: How did your friendship with Scorcese came to fruition?
JG:We met via Zilla Rocca when Scorcese was looking for producer to do remixes of an album he had put out. I did one for the project and we hit it off right away and started working on the Dream Team album.
NLM: What are the top three qualities you would associate with Scorcese?
JG: Dedication. Hustle. Humor.
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
JG: Yes! I have an album called Human Zoo with Alaska coming out in September via Insubordinate Records. I’ll also have productions on several projects from other artists and some singles and maybe a beat tape or two. At the label we will have Alex Ludovico’s solo album and some posthumous Scorcese releases.
NLM: How can potential fans find you?
insubordinaterecords.com will get you all of my music. I’m on Twitter and IG as @iamjasongriff and a majority of my catalog is on all streaming platforms, just search for Jason Griff (or sometimes just Griff)
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