Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, the enigmatic project of former Tigers Jaw member and GothBoiClique co-founder, Adam McIlwee, has premiered “Don’t Get Me Started” another new track from the upcoming Raw and Declawed EP. Due out July 14th via Disposition Collective, Raw and Declawed is a stark departure for Wicca Phase, one that finds McIlwee adopting much sparser instrumentation to carry his distinctive voice and lyrics.
Until now, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal has mostly been defined by its unlikely blend of trap beats and cadences with the earnest melancholy of punk and emo. This genre-defying combination has become the calling card of Wicca Phase and GothBoiClique: the musical collective co-founded by McIlwee that includes like-minded artists like the polarizing Lil Peep. Raw and Declawed takes a very different approach, one that recalls McIlwee’s past work in Tigers Jaw but is still firmly rooted in Wicca Phase’s boundary-ignoring techniques. The EP emphasizes the influence of cleverly morose storytellers, like Nick Cave and Morrissey, stripping away the electronics and trap beats and living acoustic guitar and McIlwee’s unmistakable almost-croon. While Raw and Declawed may seem like a massive departure from Wicca Phase’s successful sound, these three tracks continue to represent the unrestrained spirit of the project.
