UK songwriter Wesley Joseph has been kicking around his recordings blending soft alt-R&B and slightly more confrontational raps since the onset of the COVID era, catching the ear of Secretly Canadian following the release of 2020’s Ultramarine EP. Bolstered by a closing track featuring his childhood friend Jorja Smith, the project introduced Joseph’s take on a distinctly English take on the intersection of soul and hip-hop—his vocals occasionally bring the gentleness of Sampha to mind, while the experimental sounds behind it feel inspired by the work of James Blake.
Fast-forward to this week, and Joseph is now gearing up to release his first full-length via the label, with Forever Ends Someday expanding the scope of his ideas both in terms of runtime as well as the spectrum of sound explored. The second single to be released from the album was built upon the moody ambiance explored elsewhere on the album, yet featured an aggressive intro setting the tone for a verse from Danny Brown to close out the recording. The ensuing “Pluto Baby,” meanwhile, featured glossy, futuristic industrial-electronic production. Later on the album, Jorja Smith reemerges on “July,” one of the record’s most intimate R&B moments.
As Joseph sees it, the throughline in the track list comes from a sense of having one foot in the past and another in the future—an idea solidified by the artist’s clear reverence for classic pop-soul music and an insistence on pushing pop music as we know it forward. The selection of influences he compiled for us helps shed some light on how he achieves this balancing act, with Stevie Wonder appearing alongside the “strange sounds” of Beach House. Beyond that, he cites Kendrick Lamar’s “super-conscious, to-the-bone raw rap music and modern production” as an inspiration as it creates a sense of intriguing contrast with the alt-R&B stylings of Sampha, whose music sounds “like a really early, blissful, morning” to Joseph.
Check out the full track list below along with some insight on each pick from Joseph, and pre-order Forever Ends Someday ahead of its release this Friday here.
Beach House, “Lemon Glow”
“Lemon Glow” influenced the record in terms of its rhythmic synths and the modulation and strange sounds that live in the song. It felt so unique and captivating to me, and a key moment in understanding how minimalism can have incredible depth if you utilize the space.
David Bowie, “Heroes”
This song makes you feel like the good old days are happening right now, and there’s something inherently nostalgic about it that makes it feel like you’re living in a memory. I think a lot of the essence in the songwriting on my album—especially when it came to romanticizing the past—was in the same vein as the feeling in this song.
Jai Paul, “All Night”
I think “All Night” was in the subconscious of the record and found its way into the more nocturnal songs like “Seasick” and “Manuka.” It holds a really powerful place for me and still sounds like the future.
Kendrick Lamar, “PRIDE.”
I feel like a lot of the songs on DAMN. had maximalist and bombastic instrumentation, but a lot of the bars were very real and close to home. “PRIDE.” in particular stood out for me and inspired a framework that opened my mind in terms of super-conscious, to-the-bone raw rap music and modern production.
King Krule, “La Lune”
“La Lune” served me most in between days writing the record. I would listen to it when I was walking and it served as a perfect empty canvas for me to be in my thoughts—there’s something really special about that whole album.
Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight”
I’d just sit and listen to his catalog and research what reverbs he was using. I got obsessed with the H3000 plate reverbs and metallic tones in my voice and drums through Phil Collins.
Sampha, “Plastic 100° C”
I think there are certain songs that sound like a specific time of day or a specific moment. For me, this sounds like a really early, blissful, morning, and that feeling stuck with me when it came to my songs and knowing that I wanted to capture those moments, too.
Steve Wonder, “Superwoman”
He makes these heaven-sent chords and chord progressions that I think are incredible, and that’s what really stayed with me from him. It’s there in “White Tee” and “Seasick” from [my] album—he really inspired the colors in those chords.
The Stone Roses, “I Wanna Be Adored”
It’s one of the most cinematic songs of all time—the clouds part, there’s a thunderous storm, and when the vocal comes in it feels like the climax of the movie. I’ve always appreciated how it sets a scene and creates the drama, but is also simple, direct, and immediate music without it feeling conventional.
