Adam McIlwee is an artist of great conviction. With his years of creation he’s gained audiences from every niche and corner. When experimental sounds emerge, one could gamble he’s known of the movement for six months and has already created a full length project in the style. This is why it was no surprise that when the fast catching world of emotionally charged alternative rap emerged, the Tiger’s Jaw front man was found forming GothBoiClique as Wicca Phase Springs Eternal. Enter 2019. Wicca Phase has proved himself an innovator of his generation, and many were left wondering how he would keep momentum with the announcement of his album Suffer On. With the delivery came a brand new angle Wicca somehow avoided until now: Palatability. Suffer On is solemn, honest, and caters to each niche he’s developed during his time as musical factor.
Raw in its content yet polished in its delivery, the songs of Suffer On are a series of moments painted chronologically, though each complete in themselves. You’re sucked into Wicca’s personal world where the most secret emotions are bared. Listening to the album feels almost like an invasion of privacy in its intimacy, yet one cannot help but feel empathetic of Wicca’s version of a story all have lived.The lyrical cues map together like constellations, while still working beautifully individually. References intertwine, propelling echoes of past song’s into the next. The latent, melancholy production value intentionally frames the dialogue. The instrumentals crafted by Døves, Will Yip, and Wicca himself, are clean stripped and crisp, seemingly built in an attempt to highlight the meticulous lyrics.
“Together” softly draws you into the album with an acoustic melody and Wicca’s somber delivery, explaining the torments of existence in metaphors you feel before you understand. The track remains ‘unplugged’ through the first half, until rattling drum patterns erupt underneath; reminding you this is a Wicca Phase album, not an indie classic. We then transition to prior released track “Rest”, one of his most profound songs to date. The song is a plea for reciprocation, validation, and affirmation in a relationship. The song is told in a series of questions, each more compelling and hard to answer than the last, “How much time have I spent, trying to get through to you? Do what she will, I’ll let her. Let me try something new. How much love have I lent, can you repay me soon?” Despite the insecure tone of this piece, Wicca’s delivery is confident and polished. Visuals by Metro Blu for the track arrived Monday, and displays static-laced clips of Wicca; as if he were inside a broken television. The staticity of the visuals seem to be motivated by the stacity of Wicca’s emotion within “Rest”.
Further standouts of Suffer On include “Contact”, a tale of complacency and unspoken words. We hear an internal dialogue with lyrics almost afraid to be sung. Wicca paints a picture of two people scared to make a change for fear of what the change may be. The song is used as a means to toy with feelings that are a catalyst within a relationship. “Contact” sets a familiar feeling of uncertainty in a relationship to song.
“Saw you in soft light looking at me. Felt you in past tense leaning on me. I feel a crisis looming over me. I’m afraid to make contact, cause your tone might change. Might forget my name.”
We later hear “Put Me In Graves”, which juxtaposes the majority of the acoustically charged album. Heavenly synth tones surround the lyrics, which Wicca belts with refreshing conviction. This song is a spiral to rock bottom emotionally. The beat builds underneath to curate the anxious tone he is feeling, all while articulating his feelings nervously. It feels like a 3 A.M. drunken call to an ex lover who’s long forgotten what you shared. “Put Me In Graves” shows emotional fall out, and the thought processes of trying to keep yourself together.
“My head isn’t straight, I’m in pain. Take me away, and throw me in the midst of lust. Pray the label covers us. It feels like my bed is a hospital bed.”
Each song of this album contributes to a whole. While all ten tracks are enjoyable, you experience a story with the entirety; complete with a perfectly painted exposition, climax, and denouement. With Suffer On Wicca Phase has displayed the breadth of his lyrical ability, while offering a vulnerability unfound in prior works. Suffer On contributes to some of Wicca Phase’s most dynamically written works to date. Though already established as a spearhead of diy music, this past year his personal growth has translated into his work. With Suffer On, Wicca Phase has secured his first headlining tour, and with the amount of exponential growth he has acquired it could not have come at a better time. Experience Suffer On.