Remember witch house? The unlikely merging of trap music and occult aesthetics was a short-lived phenomenon near the beginning of the decade, but seems to have made something of a comeback in recent years with “sad rap,” the equally unlikely crossover of SoundCloud rap and mid-aughts popular emo. Somewhere between these two phenomena lies Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, the new occult-pop project of Scranton songwriter Adam McIlwee. Not to be out-stranged, McIlwee draws upon his emo and pop punk roots fronting Tigers Jaw since 2005 to create entirely unique minimalist pop orchestrations as a founder of Goth Boi Clique, which featured the late Lil Peep as a member up until his death in 2017.
Today, in anticipation of his forthcoming second album, Suffer On, WPSE is sharing an aptly overcast video for his recently premiered track “Just One Thing,” which perfectly captures the somber and slightly occult undertones of Wicca’s upbeat production.
McIlwee explains: “I think 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. [Directors Pascual Sisto and Robert Becraft] are really great at mixing naturally good-looking shots and digitally manipulated sequences, which mirrors the literal nature of the lyrics and their relationship with the dark, fast, futuristic beat.”
Check out the video here, and keep an eye out for Wicca Phase in your city in the coming months (dates below). Suffer On comes out February 15 via the ever-heterogeneous Run for Cover.
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. Mar 3 | 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
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
