Cleveland-based pop-rap three-piece .wavrunner have well and truly started the party with the release of their debut single 'uh huh, i like it'.
The single sets the tone for the group's unique brand of dance floor anthems, blending classic west coast hip-hop funk with influences spanning the history of the earliest stages of club music with today’s modern viral chart mainstays.
While .wavrunner are just getting their careers started, they've already attracted plenty of attention, and the single was produced by highly touted producer, Paul Meany and mixed by Joe Grasso. They also caught the attention of the team at Elevation Recording Group who signed them to a management deal.
We had a chat with the guys to find out more...
Hey guys! Introduce yourselves and tell us a fun fact about the group!
"Ello, we’re .wavrunner: Jack, Griff & JJ. We’re three goons trying to have fun and not pay attention to things that distract from that like politics or higher education, ya heard?"
Where are you from and what’s your favourite thing about it? Do you think your surroundings have influenced your sound at all?
"We are from Cleveland, Ohio. Well, about a 30 minute drive from Cleveland. We’re from the forests and vast land areas of Greater Cleveland. Yeah, this has affected the way we sound on record. We’re well-rounded and don’t stick with one sound. Being water-front on the lake has given us some dope summers, so a lot of our songs come out really warm and summery feeling."
How did you meet each other and start making music as a group?
Jack: "Well, I met JJ because we were birthed out of the same woman. I met Griffin in 2nd grade because we were the only ones who knew every cuss word in the book. We bonded over our lists of cuss words and then we ended up bonding in the principal’s office from saying them all the time. I started freestyling with my older friends in high school. I was like “damn, this is fun, but these guys kinda suck.” I keep working on my craft literally every day and focus on what will make people bop and create the best moments in a room."
JJ: "I started making beats when I was around 13 years old. I taught myself just sitting in my room, but the beats just ended there until I started giving them to Jack to freestyle on. We realized we could make a band out of this pretty quickly."
Griff: "Before Jack introduced me to rapping and recording, I’ve always gravitated toward writing - particularly poetry. My teachers told me I had a gift in this. And it worked on some girls here and there. Then Jack shared his new found love of freestyling, rapping, and writing melodies with me and I fell in love. As you’ll catch in our music, I love hip-hop/satirical writing forms."
Is there a story behind the name?
"Not really. We grew up on the water in Cleveland and at Put-In-Bay. The overlap with this and our music was waves, but more specifically .wav files. We combined it all to create .wavrunner, the new wave."
How would you sum up your sound in the form of a hashtag?
"#timeless"
Who would be your dream collab?
"Gorillaz, A$AP Rocky, Anderson .Paak, Ski Mask, Kendrick Lamar"
You’ve just released your debut single ‘uh huh, i like it’. Tell us a bit about it!
"It was our first time ever using an outside producer (Paul Meany), which was a great opportunity for us. He helped us tighten up the song and helped a lot with the structure. He found our strengths and exploited them. All vocals were recorded from Jack’s room, though."
How has the reaction been so far?
"People love it, just like we knew they would….same with the video. How could you not?!"
Were there any key influences when writing?
"Simply put: It’s things we like, the lifestyle we live, and the lifestyle we want our fans to partake in."
Do you have a favourite lyric or part of the song?
"We definitely like the chorus vocal the best: “uh huh, i like it!”. That’s all three of our voices blended together beautifully!"
What can we expect from you guys in 2021?
"Just make sure you’re sitting down! (But it’s gonna make you stand up)."
'uh huh, i like it'
Listen HERE @wav_runner
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