Wicca Phase Springs Eternal (WPSE) is the aka of Scranton, PA-based Adam McIlwee who has dropped his latest single, “Just One Thing” from the upcoming sophomore album Suffer On. Suffer On will be released on February 15th via Run For Cover Records. The video for “Just One Thing” features a chilly seaside vista which is perfect for the middle of January. There aren’t a lot of things perfect for this month but this vista might just take the cake.
“The idea was to recreate visually what is going on in the song instrumentally – breathy, stretched out, minor-chord pads over a frenetic hi-hat pattern – and add to the mystery, depression and isolation that is present throughout the entire album.” McIlwee tells Flood Magazine about creating the video.
The upcoming album is the first album composed entirely by McIlwee. “It’s so much easier to write more impactful songs when you’re doing it from scratch,” McIlwee explains. “You create the journey for listeners as opposed to getting a map from a producer and trying to fit what you’re saying onto it. It’s all coming from me.”
McIlwee’s innate songwriting gift can be traced back to his time in Tigers Jaw, the widely influential band he fronted before walking away in 2013 to fully embark onto new creative pathways. Wicca Phase Springs Eternal first materialized in 2010 after receiving the name suggestion in an email from a friend on tumblr, in which McIlwee began writing and recording under the moniker. “Once I heard the name, it felt perfect,” he explains. Evoking mystical, occult resonances, the name serves as a passageway to explore the parallels between the material world and that of mystery. “The influence of the name seeps in and lets everyone know they’re getting into something deeper.” Stark transmissions of obsession, melancholia, and raw emotion compliment acoustic guitar and digital percussion as if Peter Murphy and Metro Boomin had been playing Ouija together. Beneath the deep 808’s, moody synthesizers and cackling guitar, McIlwee’s singular voice effectively resonates with a generation raised amidst the frenzied collage of modern digital expression.
As he continued to evolve in his new artistic endeavors he ultimately linked up with likeminded creatives by way of Twitter DMs. Together he and his newfound collaborators built a network of creators across the country and in 2015, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal co-founded Gothboiclique (GBC). Comprised of ten artists including Cold Hart, Horse Head, Lil Tracy, and eventually the late Lil Peep, the internet collective began creating a palpable buzz and accordingly influencing a growing wave of artists and musicians.
“GBC is really rooted in the spirit of loner culture and heartbreak culture,” he elaborates. “There’s this dark element that’s always been a part of American gothic music, the aesthetic, and the subculture,” McIlwee explains.
With GBC’s growing notoriety, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal simultaneously established himself as a singular voice, adeptly combining his natural songwriting instincts with the digital culture enveloping his world. Through an extensive catalog of collaborations, singles, EPs and 2016’s Secret Boy LP, McIlwee has become a celebrated pioneer in this vital new direction of underground music. Along the way, he has assembled what would become his 2019 Run For Cover Records debut, Suffer On, with the sonic bedrock evolving yet again as he re-embraces an initial vision.
2019 SUFFER ON TOUR DATES:
Wed. Feb 27 Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
Thu. Feb 28 New York, NY @ Market Hotel
Fri. Mar 1 Boston, MA @ SInclair
Sat. Mar 2 Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground
Sun. Mar3 Syracuse, NY@ Funk and Waffles
Tue. Mar 5 Toronto, ON @ Hard Luck
Wed. Mar 6 Ferndale, MI @ Loving Touch
Thu. Mar 7 Milwaukee, WI @ Colectivo
Fri. Mar 8 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Sat. Mar 9 Burnsville, MN @ The Garage
Mon. Mar 11 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
Tue. Mar 12 Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
Wed. Mar 13 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Thu. Mar 14 Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s
Fri. Mar 15 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Sat. Mar 16 College Park. MD @ Milkboy Arthouse
Sun. Mar 17 Asbury Park @ HOI
