Gothboiclique and Misery Club member Wicca Phase Springs Eternal (aka Adam McIlwee) has released his second full length album entitled Suffer On. This album consisting of 10 tracks tells the story of Wicca suffering through depression and included themes of love loss. Originating from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Wicca spent several years in the emo/pop punk band Tigers Jaw and left the group to pursue his rap career, similarly to how Jon Simmons of Balance and Composure left his group to do the same. Other members of Gothboiclique include Lil Peep, Lil Tracy, Horsehead, and Cold Hart, whereas Misery Club consists of members such as Jon Simmons, Lil Zubin, and Nedarb. The scene and sound of emo-rap had been gradually becoming more influential among artists and listeners due to lyrics that revolve around emotions like depression and anxiety, while the lo-fi beat incorporates samples from emo artists such as Piece the Veil, Taking Back Sunday, and The Front Bottoms.
Suffer On began with the track "Together" which included an acoustic guitar introduction transitioning to a lo-fi beat. This song was a great start to the album because it introduced the listener to Wicca's unique vocal range and the use of his direct lyrics. This made the listener hyper aware of what he's singing/rapping about and able to predict what would come next.
Moving forward, other popular tracks on this album were "Rest", "I Need Help" and "Just One Thing" which all sound super similar to one another. Wicca used a sample from a Front Bottoms song during "Rest", who are also signed onto the same Run For Cover record label as him, while using different acoustic samples of Tigers Jaw songs in tracks like "I Need Help", and "Crushed". Additionally, Wicca used an acoustic sample from what sounds like a Balance and Composure song on his track "Contact". By using these different samples, Wicca is able to make a different connections with his new music, while still paying tribute to other emo artists on the same label.
The lyrics to most of the songs on the album are pretty mundane and oftentimes I felt disinterested in lyrics like "It feels like my bed is a hospital bed" in the song "Put Me In Graves". Not to say that the emotions and lyrics aren't real, and that Wicca didn't feel them, but as a listener it felt boring to consistently hear about the same repetitive emotions over and over again. Most of the tracks on the album sound similar, which isn't a surprise due to the album's name. However I would have liked to see Wicca challenge himself lyrically and vocally to experiment outside of his comfort zone. My favorite track was "Rest" because I am a big Front Bottoms fan and loved the way the acoustic guitar sounded while playing over a trap beat.
All in all this album was somewhat boring to listen to, and most of the lyrics were uninteresting such as "Guess that if you got it, lock it up" on the final track "Suffer On". I felt that although Wicca has made some great tracks in the past, such as "Absolute In Doubt" with Lil Peep, and "With or Without U" with Fantasy Camp, there wasn't anything that attracted or maintained the listener's attention through each song. I often found myself staring at the clock simply waiting for songs to be over due to how dull some of the tracks were. This made me realize that I would not buy the album on vinyl, and Suffer On would go on to receive a 5 out of 10 rating due to the monotonous way that the songs were formed and created. I look forward to hearing more from Wicca Phase in the future, and I hope that he challenges himself in the future to grow more as an artist.
