Capturing the undergrounds attention with the release of his first official EP slowpoke, is none other than yung griffin. The 13 minute project is composed of 5 tracks, each taking listeners through its own story of affliction. Underground Underdogs got a chance to talk to yung griffin about the inspiration behind the debut project slowpoke, as well as what the project means to him, and much more.
When hearing the EP for the first time, listeners may find themselves lost in a tale of heartache. Each track has lyrics intricately written and sung, embodying passion in every sense of the word. With such introspection, auditors can’t help but wonder how everything came together. “I’ve been planning this project for so long, but at the same (time) not really,” Griffin explains. “I’ve always wanted to put out a project and I always wanted my first project to be called slowpoke, but I didn’t know what I wanted the vibe of the album to be or the message behind the album or anything. I just knew I wanted it to exist and I knew I wanted it to be called slowpoke.”
Referring to the inspiration behind the project, he construes, “I’m really into Tracy and the way he basically operates, it’s so cool to me. And Peep is a big inspiration as well, obviously, but as far as sonically, it was probably a lot of Peep and old emo stuff like Taking Back Sunday or Never Shout Never.” With production by y axis, nilsss20k, lil biscuit, connorrlarge, and kassgocrazy, Griffin reveals that he had no specific idea as to who he wanted to work with, but rather, found his collaborators on YouTube during the recording process.
The title slowpoke has stuck with Griffin since the summer of 2018, and holds a light-hearted, yet very personal meaning. “It comes originally from the Pokémon honestly, but the name in general means a lot,” Griffin explains. “It’s like, ‘Bro, catch up,’ and that’s basically what people say to me all the time and people say that to people who are struggling a lot. They’re like, ‘Why are you spending so much time in a rut? Why are you still sad?,’ so, like when people told me that so much, I just ended up embracing it. Like yeah, I’m a ‘slowpoke’, but who cares? I’m a cool ass slowpoke.”
Each song expresses anguish in its own unique way throughout the project. From “in my arms” to “the time,” listeners are taken along on Griffin’s journey of self-expression and sorrow. With “leandoer” placed at the end of the tracklist, the EP concludes on what feels to be a more playful note. But observers can’t help but wonder, just who exactly are these songs about? Griffin, of course, was able to shed light on this. “I dated this girl last year that really kinda ruined me completely mentally. It ended in the summer of last year and ended up resulting in me like spiraling into a small addiction and some self harm. She played a huge huge part of my life, my happiness, everything. So, when she finally decided to leave, it was like my whole world went crashing down.” He continued on to explain that making music has helped him tremendously, and has especially improved his overall happiness.
“It’s pretty self explanatory, but once you find something that you really enjoy doing and you just do that more, you end up being happier in the long run.”
Yung Griffin
After completing a whole project with what he describes as “guitar sad songs,” yung griffin says he’s looking forward to potentially make more uplifting—yet still emotional—releases. It is apparent that a lot of time, effort, and care went into making the songs of slowpoke. Hearing them compiled on one project embodies the feeling of nostalgia; reminiscing memories spent with someone you loved deeply and held close in your heart. With this being yung griffin’s first official project, the underground zealously awaits to hear his follow up project. Meanwhile, fans can listen to slowpoke down below.