98. EP Review of Of the Water by Conzemius
Originally Published on March 5th, 2025
About the Artist
Music has a way of articulating feelings like no other force on Earth. It has the power to be as ubiquitous as the air we breathe, or the atoms that shape our universe. It’s an intangible force that can make us feel like we’ve run into a brick wall, or that we can fly. Life can sometimes be mundane, uncertain, or depressing. Even in its most depressive state, music is glorious.
Somewhere, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Conzemius is giving the impression that she has a profound sense of this. She articulates it as she is “navigating life’s complexities with a soft strength.” (conzemiusmusic.com) What a way to describe feeling like being two places at once; at least enotionally.
Conzemius says that “her songwriting reflects a true reverence for life’s contrasts, having experienced the depths of numbness and the heights of exhilaration.” (conzemiusmusic.com) Her music certainly conveys that.
Conzemius is slated to release her full EP in the summer of 2025, which will be her debut. So far, 3 of the songs have released; You releasing in September of 2024, Getting Closer releasing in November, and now Of the Water in January of this year.
About the EP
Of the Water will be a 6- song EP featuring music by the Minneapolis-based recording artist, Conzemius. Currently, three songs have been released as singles, and they have a runtime of about 10 minutes. The remaining 3 songs will also be released as waterfall singles, leading to the full release of the project.
About the Music
Conzemius’ music, at the first listen feels very smoothe, very mellow. Even if a song is more uptempo, there’s an energy within it that slows me down. As I continue to listen, I notice an exploratory ambience that exists within each song. In addition to the 3 released songs, I’ve also listened to one of the upcoming releases, a song called “Broke the Chain.” A ballad that opens with a gentle electric piano accompanying her vocals, there is an entire soundscape that exists throughout the entire song. It’s like wading in the waters of a Gulf. There’s a current, but it’s not sweeping like an ocean or a river. It sort of swells and acclimates around the song.
The more I listen to this music, the more I get a sense of what Conzemius is trying to say, when she describes the “soft strength” within it. It doesn’t emotionally attack like the feeding frenzy of a shark attack. It doesn’t stalk like a pack of wolves, inserting anxiety within the anticipation. It surrounds me, calmly and quietly, like a school of jellyfish. Subtle. Silent. Deadly.
It is stunning.
Conzemius categorizes her music as being inspired by artists like Mitski, Daughter, MARO, Dora Jar, Radiohead, and Cigarettes After Sex. It’s funny because I was also going to make the Cigarettes After Sex comparison. I also get the same feeling when I listen to Foster the People. Like these great artists, she excels at filling empty sound space with ambience.
About the Lyrics
In Conzemius’ song, “Of the Water,” there is a unified focus on nocturnal and aquatic subject matter, almost giving a Taoist tone, philosophically.
“The stars tell me that I’m a Pisces. And I feel like a fish out of water. Put me back in the stars and rearrange me. Cause you’re not here with me anyway. Or surround me with water.”
There’s something existential about this. Like maybe a struggle with identity. The narrator is taking an illustrative and interesting approach to say they feel out of place with who they’re supposed to be.
“The moon calls out to me. I think of you as the tide rushes in. Can you see it from the stars? Is that where you are? You’re like a fire burning bright and me, I’m down here with the water.”
Now, we’ve added an element of a long to be where they’re not because there is an object of attraction. There are elements of yin and yang, with Fire and Water, Earth and Sky, even moon and water with a reference to the tide. Ultimately, the subject seems to be exhibiting a feeling of being trapped or “pulled in” by the water.
I really like the use of analogy within the lyrics of this song. It’s very explorative and there’s an added element of fantasy about the way it’s written.
Final Thoughts
Resonating. That’s the word that comes to mind when I listen to Conzemius’s music. At first listen, it sounds like pop music. It is good music but it doesn’t give an initial impression of being very experimental or complex. However, as I continued to listen, I started to realize that it was much more complex than I had realized. It is deeper it is layered. It is absolutely unique and it is extraordinarily profound.
Conzemius is definitely from a region that is no stranger to extraordinary musicians like the late legendary Prince, one of the defining bands of the alternative rock generation of the 90’s, Soul Asylum, and even an extraordinary member of the Fifteen Minutes of Fame-ily with Lexi Modica. Music is a culture in the twin cities and Conzemius has a sound that could make a scene like this serve as the launching pad she needs to really find a major audience.
Conzemius has recently launched a website in preparation of the release of her ep. From here, there are opportunities to read a bio, hear her released singles, and sign up for her mailing list to get the latest news and updates on everything happening with her.
Currently, there are three songs available to hear from the upcoming EP. Spotify has categorized them and named them Of the Water. Therefore, that is what the title of this article is. But, I am aware that the actual EP that will release this summer, has yet to receive a name.
Conzemius can also be followed on TikTok and you can subscribe to her YouTube Channel.
Hearing Conzemius and hearing some of the other artists emerging in the indie scene as I listen to more submission, there is a sense that pop sounding music is evolving. It’s more advanced. There’s a genius behind the music that is pushing the envelope. Conzemius is at the forefront of this example. A movement is happening. This could be the beginning of something really incredible. There’s only one way to find out.
You gotta go press play.
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