That Feel Records is a brotherhood before anything else. The artists that comprise the Florida-based label have made it their goal to create what feels right in the moment, nothing else matters. This egoless approach has birthed a certain style of collaboration that can only be credited to the bond shared between these vocalists, producers, visual artists, and engineers with some of the members taking on multiple roles in a single studio session. There is no anger or animosity between this collection of young hopefuls who have carved out a specific lane for themselves and their togetherness shines in the music they release. For their latest release, their natural chemistry shines brighter than ever as members GRYFFYTH, Pleigh Vader, and Ant, The Producer welcome their latest creation, Spur Of The Moment into the world. In just over 10 minutes, the trio captures the essence of their famous “Saturday Studio Sessions” and welcomes us into the world of That Feel with a jazzy warmth and open arms. 

The name of this project could not be any more accurate, That Feel creates only when creating feels right. That energy is captured in songs like “Ying Yang” and “Knick Of Time”, two examples of how the group was on the exact same page at the right time and capitalized on that moment. With GRYFFYTH taking the role of premier vocalist for the first time in his career, Pleigh Vader took the role of beat conductor and created vivid backdrops for GRYFF’s masterful pen. Along with Ant, The Producer weighing in on instrumentals and an all-star verse from fellow That Feel member CA$$O, Spur Of The Moment is able to hold its own in the colorful and layered discography of the That Feel Records team. In a mere five songs, GRYFFYTH’s words carry you through the kaleidoscope of emotions that are evoked through the soulful production of Vader and Ant, all melting together for an album that, while created out of spontaneity, feels timeless. 

Ant, Vader, and GRYFFYTH sat down to discuss their latest creation, their overall creative process, and so much more. Check out the full conversation and listen to Spur Of The Moment below: 

https://push.fm/fl/sotm

What were the conversations like leading up to the recording of Spur of The Moment? 

GRYFFYTH: Realistically, we were at our brother Don’s house [Donny Marvo], we met there almost every Saturday to create. We’ll all be there and we’re just building constantly, whether it be during the week but of course on Saturdays and Sundays after we all get a little family time. That’s where it birthed from, whether it be on the music end or the brother end, we’re just building together. 

Pleigh Vader: It’s almost an unspoken language, I can hit these guys up at any time. They’re either at work or at the studio, Ant is there all the time. We’re creating without an agenda, it just came to fruition. Gryff and I had a couple of tracks together, I just started to produce and he just got his pen out and started writing. Ant would come in after work and produce with us as well, of course, he’s mixing and mastering it all making it sound beautiful and ready. 

Ant, The Producer: The whole creation process is like that in general, we just get together and whatever happens at the moment pretty much happens. A couple of weeks in a row they were sending me stuff and I was like “Damn, y’all turning the moment into gold”. That’s sort of where the name came from, it really came together from being in the moment and seeing what that births. 

Is there a sense of friendly competition during those weekend sessions? 

GRYFFYTH: Friendly competition is always welcomed, it births new creations. We’re used to team sports, when your team is doing well you get energized and inspired. With Spur Of The Moment, a lot of these beats were made during those four or five months, those are some immaculate beats. Very dynamic, very full of jazz and hip-hop. We leave our egos at the door and that helps a lot. 

What was it like producing GRYFFYTH’s debut album as a vocalist? 

Pleigh Vader: Honestly, it’s really in the name [of the album] like Ant said. Sessions that we were setting up in general like on the weekends, just flushing out whatever with no specific agenda. There’s a track on there called “Blind Realities”, that was the first beat I made that GRYFFYTH hopped on, he was writing while I was making it. That helped me discover the sound I want to get out of him, it was really natural. As he was writing I can figure out tempos or pockets we should be in, it really helped to have him there and to watch him experiment with flows. Watching him re-do stuff really helped me gauge the process. Once we got three songs together, we knew there was a direction there. Ant was out of town at the time and we were sending him these songs, he was saying how these were cohesive and not just singles. That sparked that idea and GRYFFYTH started getting artwork ideas together. 

GRYFFYTH: The spontaneity of the project was always there, whether we were just chilling or building. Music is always playing and there are always ideas getting written down. All three of us had some role in production so It’s like Dragon Ball Z, we all know how to fuse together in the moment. This whole project is one moment into the last couple of years of our lives, it has a lot of essence, emotion, and passion, and that’s what we were feeling at the moment. 

Ant, The Producer: This one was less of going in with a predetermined idea and more of just keeping in the moment and being with your people. Even the track I have production credits on, “Living Legend”, really I was just back in town for two weeks and that session where we made that track was one of the few times I actually got to see Alex [Pleigh Vader] within that time I was back in Florida. We were able to lock in and it was so open so when he heard that beat he was like “I can do something with that”. When he finished “Living Legends” he decided it was right for Spur Of The Moment, it only made sense. We just allowed the moment to turn into good vibes and those turned into good songs. 

This project sounds darker than other releases from That Feel, do you feel the same? 

Ant, The Producer: It feels deeper, there’s a lot of emotion and pressure that got crystalized into songs. It feels like it wrapped up two years into 13 minutes and with that in mind, every second is full of intent. It’ll make you feel exactly what’s been going on with us, all the highs and lows, you get the greatness but you also get the reality of the situation which is not always going to be cute. This project is real life. 

Pleigh Vader: I guess darker is a good word in terms of tone. We had a group chat with some of the homies and I basically told them to get ready to go into the jazz lounge. It gives me that late-night, speakeasy kind of sound. It’s not a bright light, the light is there, it’s just more of a calm, nighttime reading light. Like Ant said, we culminated two years into this project, there’s so much emotion in it but there’s a balance, there are some high moments in there too. 

GRYFFYTH: I would like to believe anyone who listens to this project and likes it actually likes me. It’s just my reality and my brothers around me reality as well, it’s just my life truly. A balance of the ying yang sign, lightness and dark. 

Being that this is your first time as a vocalist, what sort of emotions does listening back to the project evoke for you, GRYFFYTH? 

GRYFFYTH: It’s a little different in terms of being a recording artist. Having that self-confidence to speak my mind, especially in curated moments like this on a project that’s purely me. Being able to master my own cipher and deliver something I want the world to hear, it’s cool to me. I’m not too concerned with what the world has to say about me, I just needed to get this off my chest and it’s on to the next chapter of my life. 

Have you always been interested in doing vocals? 

GRYFFYTH: One of my best friends Donny Marvo always pushed me to finish songs and initially do them. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be rapping. My bag is in production, if it wasn’t for Don I wouldn’t be rapping. I already have two more projects with me on vocals coming this year. 

Was it weird being on the opposite side of the recording process? 

GRYFFYTH: Nah, at first my anxiety about making a beat was a lot. I’m so used to doing it by myself so having somebody else take the wheel was a little different but I learned to trust my people. I actually make sure I choose who is around me with those kinds of energies, when I’m in a creative mood I don’t keep that many people around me. Ant and Vader are like my best friends in music, I call them to do or help me do anything and that’s a blessing. Even outside of the music, those are my brothers, I know I can call them. 

Do you think recording an album like Spur Of The Moment will change how you approach producing for other artists? 

GRYFFYTH: It makes it more fun. Production always comes first, vocals come with it if it’s touching my soul. If I’m not having verses flow in my head, I’ll chill on the idea and make another beat. It goes simultaneously and then intertwines as I create. 

Did you have to figure out a writing process or did it come naturally? 

GRYFFYTH: I write my verses pretty quickly. If it starts to take too long I’ll just sit on it, because the beat might be too difficult. Outside of that, I get help from production and everything else. If the production is better it makes me a better writer, I just try my hardest to make sure I’m there for that. I just got more organized, when it comes to making my own production I know if I’m going to write to it or not so I’ll put it aside. 

How important is the artwork to That Feel Records? How did the painting for Spur Of The Moment come to be? 

Ant, The Producer: The artwork needs to really represent what’s going on with the vibes, that’s the more important aspect. One thing that we want to stand for is making sure the whole experience as far as dropping music matches the vibes we’re giving out. Even if something is coming across visually, we want to make sure it can give you an inkling of the reality of our situation that may make these songs into beautiful moments that can last for a while. We always try to give you a reference point for our reality. Shout out to Eugene (97wilde on Instagram), he laces a lot of our artwork. He really understands the vision, he listens to the album once or twice and is able to completely see the direction we’re going in. He nailed it on the first try for Spur of The Moment. Being able to have people that relate to the art on all levels, makes everything more genuine. 

Pleigh Vader: Artwork has always been an important emphasis to us. When we have our team meetings, that’s one of the driving points we want everyone on board to understand. It’s only going to push our music further because the packaging is a part of the process. Before you eat something you smell it, we have to cover all aspects. We don’t want to just have the music, we want the visuals and all of that. It’s also the brotherhood, Eugene is someone we met through Donny Marvo so it’s an extension of that brotherhood. Having somebody that we trust with our vision and being able to have that in our back pocket is important, and that brotherhood allows us to work closely. Artwork is what captures people sometimes, people are going to see the artwork before they hear the music. 

Is it the goal for That Feel Records to have everything in-house?

Ant, The Producer: As much as it can be. We’re really on our own time with a lot of stuff even looking at expenses like artwork, that’s damn near in-house at this point because of that understanding between That Feel and Eugene. As much as possible is being done in-house, we want to come off as like-minded individuals in different fields then we try to make that something we’re feeding each other as far as creativity. We try to amplify each other, those are the relationships we try to build on. One of the main things we learned over the past few years is that everything you need to succeed is right in front of you, we really try to link with that truth. We’d rather see what we can get out of ourselves organically rather than latching on to something with movement. 

What was it like putting the tracklist together for Spur Of The Moment? 

Ant, The Producer: It grew from a three or four-track EP to the final five. As the stuff was getting made we would have a conversation about the song, we look at it in a totality aspect and the overall sonics. I can’t even say the songs that didn’t make it are left over because we have a plan for them. The last one that got added was “Ying Yang”, which was recorded a month ago, everything else came from that couple-week span. It was knocked out pretty quickly. 

GRYFFYTH: The title of the songs come pretty quickly too, damn near after we finish the song most of the time. I get really surgical with the transitions with the songs but we all help each other out in that regard. We’ll send an idea for a tracklist and we’ll all listen to it and give feedback immediately just to make sure we’re on point. It’s very surgical but we have fun with it. 

Pleigh Vader: The tracklist is probably what took the most time. As far as the actual amount of tracks, like Ant said we ended up adding “Ying Yang” rather than taking anything out. It just fits the sound of the project. The ordering was a process but we never had any throwaways because they could appear on a different project or a single. 

Does your process always happen so quickly? 

Ant, The Producer: After two or three songs you can sort of hear it being built. We won’t call it a project or announce anything but you can see where stuff is going, let the situation play out. After a couple of weeks, you can have a good amount of context and build around that. The project-making usually happens after the songs are made. We set goals for sessions and stuff but you just keep vibing and locking into the moment and before you know it, you have seven tracks. That’s when you start plotting visuals and titles and all of that, getting into organization mode, project management comes after the songs. 

Pleigh Vader: Spur Of The Moment came about pretty quickly but it was natural. It wasn’t rushed but this project came together quicker than usual. Within that couple-week span, we were just making songs back-to-back and they all had the same essence so it made sense to package it together. 

Do disagreements happen often in the That Feel camp? 

GRYFFYTH: We’re really being purposeful with what we’re doing. You can make songs all day but if you don’t have a path you can get lost in translation. We really try and build these projects so if we need to have a conversation there is one had, it’s just real conversations about the music. 

You all do a little bit of everything but have your primary focuses like producing or rapping. Can you remember the moment when you started making music that pushed your focus to one or the other more? 

GRYFFYTH: Imagine being in a room with your best friends and they’re just pushing you to get better at this thing every single time. You may be timid but they’re still persuading you in a healthy way to keep going. I just had good people around me who saw me uncomfortable with the process but continued to push me to see myself in a better light, and that’s Spur Of The Moment. Being able to translate and having people who actually want to help me because they give a fuck about me. When you’re around that kind of energy, you just blend together. 

Pleigh Vader: We always say iron sharpens iron, we’re always trying to help each other grow. These two really encourage me to be my best self, even outside of music. In those Saturday sessions, I always bring my computer and everything with me but sometimes GRYFFYTH will tell me to hook my stuff up to the studio set-up, and before you know it I’m making a beat that someone in there is going to use. I always just show up for the brotherhood and then we make something on the in-house computer but they gave me that encouragement to do it myself. It goes a long way, that encouragement. There are beats on Spur Of The Moment that we made as a collective, it’s positionless. With Ant being out of town I had to do some of the engineering and try my hand at that and GRYFFYTH was mixing, we all had our own way with everything. Ant was so instrumental, even being out of Florida we were still sending him stuff and getting feedback on mixes from him. He was mixing vocals and he wasn’t even there because that’s our brother, it was seamless. 

You guys talk about how natural things come, are there ever moments where it’s just not clicking? Do you try to force yourselves to create in those moments? 

GRYFFYTH: I’m in love with the process honestly. I’m always listening to or making music to get inspired it all comes with practice. If someone is questioning or being critical about what you’re doing, it interrupts that process. Practice builds consistency, it’s just great teamwork. Vader will be on the keys, Ant will be working on a sample, and I’ll be on drums so it almost becomes a band at some point. It just gets fun because we’re all on the same page, we can be working on different stuff but being communicative in those moments is crucial. 

It sounds like a lot of That Feel’s music happens out of spontaneity, why go with Spur Of The Moment for this particular project? 

GRYFFYTH: I don’t know where I got it from. 

Pleigh Vader: We were listening back to the first three songs we recorded and GRYFF just came up with the idea and it sounded right. 

Ant, The Producer: I heard the name and realized I had made a beat and named it “Spur Of The Moment” a few days before. It showed that we were all on the same time, turning what you do naturally into something that can push you forward and help document what’s going on. 

Any last thoughts on the project? What do you want people to take away from Spur Of The Moment? 

GRYFFYTH: I just want everyone to figure out how we feel on a sonic level. Words hold weight and the sonics travel, I just want people to feel me and That Feel. Tell somebody about it. 

Ant, The Producer: My main thing is to always note the role Donny Marvo played. This was the last project done in that space so I want to show reverence in that way. This is a Soul Brothers production and it always will be, Don is in the cover art if you look closely. 

Pleigh Vader: If you want to work with us, this is what you get. If you’re looking to curate a project instead of throwing some tracks together, you know who to reach out to. The spirit of Donny lives with us every day and with him on our side, we can’t lose.