Artwork for “Happy”
Disclaimer: Cliff Notez was a member of Allston Pudding’s writing staff from mid 2016 to early 2018. He was a great writer, but he’s a better musician. We feel it’s just as important to let you know of that connection as it is to cover his music.
If you’ve followed the artistic output of Cliff Notez – a Boston native whose artistic career has been gaining steam of late – you’re probably wondering when he finds time to sleep. Whether it’s through music like his 2017 album When the Sidewalk Ends, through films like his project Vitiligo (recently given an internet release), or from his work as founder of the arts collective HipStory, he’s gradually carved a space for himself and his fellow cohort of artists and musicians within Boston’s arts scene.
His resumé is impressive: at the most recent Boston Music Awards, he received the honor of Best New Artist, snagged Boston Magazine’s Musician of the Year, and earlier in 2019, spearheaded the Sketchbook series at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge, which showcased local hip-hop musicians in a venue traditionally devoted to folk and Americana acts. On top of that, he and HipStory worked hard to setup and promote Boston Answering, a festival featuring exclusively local talent that served as a direct response to Boston Calling and its lack of local acts. He’s been busy to say the least, working with that head-down-push-forward mentality that yields prolific results.
While he’s appeared on a few tracks with others here and there, it’s been a minute since we’ve heard new music with him listed as the main artist. Well, if you’ve been waiting, look no further than his new single, “Happy,” an exhilarating roller coaster of a song. Reflective of Cliff’s efforts to incorporate local friends as collaborators, the track is rife with features, including support from Latrell James, Moe Pope, Optic Bloom, and Tyrek Greene.
It’s been over two years since Cliff dropped Sidewalk, a sonic journey through soulful hip-hop beats, skilled songwriting and production, and thematic tightness. All that is to say, the expectations for new music are somewhat high. For some, those sophomore expectations can be challenging, but on “Happy,” Cliff & Co. craft a catchy celebration of love and life. It starts off relaxed enough, with an atmospheric keyboard line accompanying the vocals. Over the track’s 4:20 runtime (ayyy), the beat builds, moving from hip-hop into a straight-up dance track that veers more in the direction of house music. It’s infectious and irresistible, and it serves as a perfect continuation of the diverse sonic landscapes that Sidewalk set up while also pushing Cliff’s sound in a new direction. It’s the kind of song that screams for an extended dance remix to keep the rumps shaking at the club on a weekend night.
What the track makes abundantly clear is that Cliff Notez can dabble in whatever genres feel right for him at any given time and – expectations aside – is fully able to push himself to expand his repertoire and catalog. If you’re around Concord, NH this weekend (Sunday 8/4), you can catch him performing at the Rock On Fest. After that, it’s unclear exactly when his next live show will be, but odds are it’ll be sooner rather than later.
“Happy” is now available to stream on all platforms, and you can listen below.