Preston San, Tokyo Shawn, and now Towkio has gone through a lot to get to the release of his highly anticipated project, .Wav Theory. The first time I heard of Towkio, it was on his wacky remix of Soulja Boy’s “Xan With That Lean” that has become somewhat of an underground anthem in Chicago since its release. Since then, he’s released a project with Chicago production duo A Billion Young a little over a year ago with a few memorable songs (as well as the collaborative project with Mojek that “Xan With That Lean Pt. II” was on entitled Community Service).However, everything up until now has seemed like mere experiments to get to where he is now.
.Wav Theory is Towkio’s first full length release and feels like his masterpiece. Through the previous persona’s and projects, it is clear Towkio has been slowly but surely putting together the pieces to create his sound. It makes sense now that we’ve been waiting on .Wav Theory for what feels like 3-4 years. Ultimately, this Savemoney coming out party is rooted in actual good music. .Wav Theory is a carefully orchestrated first release that shows Towkio can do a little bit of everything. Highly electronic with tastes of the Social Experiment type of soulful funkiness, Towkio has created a truly happy project filled with different types of songs that create and are about joy (and some that are purely boastful). It’s wavy, too (some pun intended). Towkio’s voice is so refined (thanks to amazing mixing and mastering) that it sells the image of him talking a girl up in these lyrics phenomenally.
The party element of the album is really its focus. I’ve always recognized Towkio as a party kingpin in Chicago, being if the party is lit, Towkio is in attendance. The kid seems to be everywhere, which is why I think his musical career is finally ready to lift off. For years, Towkio has been in and around the scene, right next to his fellow Savemoney brothers Chance, Vic, and even Leather Corduroys as they climbed the latter of rap clout. Now, its Towkio’s turn to capture his fair-share of the rap scene in Chicago. Even with the pending release of Surf as well as new Vic Mensa, .Wav Theory is something I will continue to play, may it be in my headphones or at the next house party I have.
With Vic Mensa signing to Roc Nation and Chance still growing by the minute, it’s evident with .Wav Theory that the Savemony takeover is still in full force. Great production and clever chorus’ hold this project together while we get to watch Towkio bounce from one idea to the next. Not every single song lands like “Free Your Mind” or “Heaven Only Knows”, but every track has a cohesive direction it’s trying to go in. I’ve always been interested to see where Towkio was headed and this only feels like a first chapter in a long story.
