We got young and moody angst for the first album, a little more diversity and freewheeling in the second, and now Gage Edwards is back with Too Late For Summer 3. A definite favorite of ours, Gage’s third installment is pure fire, and this multi-talented soul made sure to put his whole heart into this project.
For those who may not know, Gage Edwards contributes a variety of skills to his rap such as melodic vocals, drumming, playing guitar and mixing beats at his home in Tacoma and makes all these factors come together to make an incredibly unique production.
When having the honor of getting a bit of his input on Too Late For Summer 3, Gage brought up his method for creating multiple beats and narrowing those down with ones that fit his lyrics the best: “We just went through and tried to find the ones that like really just resonated. […] The ones that I picked were the ones that sounded almost cohesive.” When I say he put his whole heart into this, I ain’t lying.
If it wasn’t for the early musical influences he had throughout his life, we wouldn’t be treated to a crazy special tone of music that can’t be narrowed down to just one style. From playing drums as a preteen for his mom’s boyfriend at local shows to being volun-told to take choir as a school elective, these eventually sparked his love for singing. This blended style of singing is the one takeaway that he hopes listeners retain the most.
One of Gage’s favorite’s best exemplifies that, and it’s the track “Let Down.” Fun fact: “Let Down” was produced by Samurai Del; it’s a mix of killer beats with alternative electric guitar and drums that keep the mood catchy despite the lyrics taking a more serious note. This album embraces how bittersweet of a journey life can really be.
The intro is a deep, serious and slow groove that stays tight throughout the track. Then we really pick up speed with “Do Or Die,” which is a total BOP. As the song starts and builds, you know it’s going to get good, and Gage doesn’t disappoint as he goes off on his bars. According to him, when Gage first heard the beat, he already knew the bounce he wanted for it and that this is definitely the kind of hype song that needs to be on track two.
While Gage really loves and knows how to put out moody and slow jams, he looks for a balance in his work that shows that he also knows how to pick up the pace and switch things up on a dime.
He keeps the lit vibe going a little bit further with “La La La,” and then as the album goes on, we start to get some realness around “Changes,” which is about how losing people isn’t always going to be a loss if they aren’t good for you and your growth. This skilled lyricist speaks messages that will never get old, and it’s rare to see a young artist already able to write about such wisdom that goes over plenty of people’s heads.
Last, but far beyond from being least, the album wraps up with two songs that I promise you can take even the toughest out there on a feels trip. Take my word for it. I’m talking about “One More Dance,” and “Forest (feat. Ariana DeBoo).” Even though she gets small shout outs throughout Too Late For Summer 3, Gage Edwards gives a whole tribute to his grandmother. We all know about grief and loss at some point or another, and Gage took a moment in this album to thank the woman he owes it all to. It’s incredibly beautiful. There’s no other way to say it.
Ariana was able to jump in on the fly for “Forest,” at Ruby Room, and Gage had nothing but love to give for her, contributing her amazing voice into this final anthem-like track that wraps up this anthology perfectly. The most prolific moment that will stay with Gage the most is when he was sitting in the very chair he sat on as we spoke on the phone about Too Late For Summer 3 and played “Forest,” for his closest circle, and their reactions left him without a doubt that they believe in him, and that’s when he knew he was putting out something good.
Hoping to hear some hints about any future projects, we got a solid maybe on Too Late For Summer 4, if it feels right. Gage also talked about how much he’d love to do a collaboration with his cousin, No-Uh, who not only collaborated on Too Late For Summer 3’s first track, “Better Friend,” but is also a dope musician in his own right. They’ve made music together since their teens and have always wanted to put out a collaboration, so this definitely seems only like a natural next step to take, and we can’t wait to cover it when it happens.
Until then, give Gage Edwards’ latest release a listen, and let us know what you think! If you like what you hear, stay tuned because we will definitely be back with more Gage content!
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