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Wicca Phase Springs Eternal

by WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Gatefold LP with with full color comic book insert, lyric insert, and flood black innersleeves. Limited to 400 copies, released by Run For Cover Records.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Wicca Phase Springs Eternal via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Released by Run For Cover Records

    Includes unlimited streaming of Wicca Phase Springs Eternal via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Reveal the magic’s radiant tapestry and say my name I spent hours trying to tap into the mystery Come through in darkest hours Command the darkest skies I look to you, the forest moon, in times of darkest trials I dive deeper into drama and to fame Now I deal in magic, now I deal in pain Tonight I ride alone Two worlds to which I’m tied I move softly, swift and silent as the byway winds Tonight I want to shut down the club Tomorrow want to ride through the rain I’m weaving an emotional night I’m needing of a calming embrace I’m heading toward the mountains high The farm I passed was vast and plain Tonight I’m of the flashing of lights Tomorrow at the farm by the lake Tonight I’m at the waypoint... Overlook mountain, through pines I passed The water runs deeper than love I’ve had I’m in a Subaru, puffer jacket, Dodgers hat And I’m living life in secret Pretty baby living like the crashing of tides Another situation I don’t care to explain.... I’m longing for the flash in your eyes Wicca phase springs eternal cat in the night I hold the missing pieces Amidst the wild wonder, I’m waiting there I stand over the river, my posture straight Angel come share in my heart again How do I tell you my heart’s intent Last chance... I took a turn in Spring/Summer and cleared another path Now I code my thoughts, my words and actions, magic I am back Now it’s the pasture with the team of wild horses that I pass And in the twilight of embrace I keep the tesseract in tact I’m in the autumn of a new world and my heart it still beats fast I see you hold it...
2.
I know it doesn’t seem to hurt a lot I assure you I’m in pain I can feel the wind it whispers rolling in It’s a late one I’ll welcome you in baby To the max and to the core I’d invite you in to stay On hallowed ground I’d stand around And you’d haunt me And I wouldn’t mind it, oh I think about it in bed I’d travel to you and back I’d turn the future to past I wanna give you it all I want this moment so bad Want it to linger and last One heart one soul Body and mind control I’m living underneath a spell You know how to make it right I’m moving without movement Where are you tonight I’m living underneath a spell You know how to make it right I imagine where you’d put my hand I’m watching how this all unfolds I wonder if the way you hesitate Is why I do the same There’s a promise that I made desire, baby It involves you You’ll never never hear me say it I tempt fate A black cat Are the eyes looking back at me yours I think about you on the way there Baby when I get there I think of you more Rain starts to fall I wait for you to call I know what I’d do The taurus, my moon Tells me that you’re the one That I’m one with you Take me down the path untamed I can pick you up this time I’m casting beyond casting I’m passing through tonight Tonight I’m gonna stay up late I’ll be with you on the ride If you wanna be bad baby If you wanna live your life I’m living underneath a spell I’m moving without movement
3.
It’s about 7:15 My wonder unmeasured, the weather is perfect I live in a dream Unfiltered and focused I reach out to you and you reach out to me The waiting is worth it The birth of the night and my rebirth it seems... It’s the light through the trees Am I home now Plains are gold now Sunset silhouette Stillness you are mine And I hope I’m yours to hold now And this new night never ends Twilight miracle By the fire my neighbors tell me of their dealings beyond what is seen I report that the deer all have names and that cats are aware of the soul From the holler I head to the city, I’m human and want what I want In it’s romance, temptation is common as yarrow in heartlands back home There’s a way into the night, baby tonight I dare Where the mystery never ends, maybe you’ll find me there It’s about 7:15 My wonder unmeasured, the weather is perfect I live in a dream Unfiltered and focused I reach out to you and you reach out to me The waiting is worth it The birth of the night and my rebirth it seems... It’s the light through the trees Am I home now Plains are gold now Sunset silhouette Stillness you are mine And I hope I’m yours to hold now And this new night never ends Twilight miracle
4.
The winds that blew were riders with a job to do God, swiftly make their job tonight Night is long and horse is fast County lines I’ve passed The pressure that had pent up now is gone It doesn’t make for easy moving on The roads I choose are winding, secret, seldom used When I get home I’ll light the lights Shoreline on the beach It’s out to you I reach Only to remind myself, move forward And fall asleep inside the ocean’s roar Secrets in the mountains high Or on the shadowed path I ride The mysteries that haunt tonight are plenty The moon upon the banks again Say goodbye and pack the camp... I’m not ready... The shadow’s pool is soft and silent, cold and cruel What’s left behind’s not left behind Tonight I can’t speak plain I’m sorry that I’ve changed What are these emotions hard to score They don’t exist, the words I’m looking for Reflect on seasons passed More trouble than the last And every sign I come across is charged Love, you have to leave, it’s getting dark
5.
I’m on a mountain highway ‘neath the moon, first day of spring It’s in the waning hour of darkness that I finally reach the peak There’s not a line I’d draw when it comes to love, it’s perfect and complete In every thought, in every word, in every motion Remember it was raining on your porch when we would meet I rode a cloud beyond the sunset and I let the moment the speak In a North Face jacket, thunder when I turned onto your street If you need me, I’ll be near the portal’s open With hard emotion... Trusted transformative and true Make sure my love is front and center Next to the morning star is you We’re tied Mind to mind... My hand on her lap My eyes to her eyes Her hand on my back Potential I’ve tapped It’s Saturday night Carry on the path to river road Sometimes I feel the window’s closing tight Shining brilliant, I’ve been shining bold Is it bold for you to stay with me tonight It’s twelve o’clock I’m going out tonight I promise you I’ll make the moment worth it Welcome trouble, welcome trial I’ll be welcoming the wild Follow through the forest of devotion With hard emotion Promise to never take it slow Tonight I wait for you to wander I am the stranger that you know And high Two we’ll climb And both be the best The secret expressed The stars are aligned My baby, the best I’m passion possessed The time’s now to ride My hand on her lap My eyes to her eyes Her hand on my back Potential I’ve tapped It’s Saturday night
6.
Open Portal 02:57
Through the pines there’s a road I was never meant to find you But I offered my hand And now I want forever Both to have and to hold The mystery inside you Do I dare say her name Do I name the one I’m tied to When every word is a code And daily life is a dream What will a shadow expose I’ll let it wash over me See the place beyond the known map I was hazy in the high standing hills Love imagined with no limitations I see you and I see time stand still There’s a note in my phone With syncs and times and places In the margins of time Keep hold of you forever From the road, hear a call Both feint and fascinating I was passing through Falls It was for the call I waited To go beyond whatever senses I command No separation of the known and undefined To live a life inside a love that no one knows To embrace with total heart my own desires And forget the body boxed in Moon reflecting on the pasture and plain In the coldest kind of celebration See the blessing in her eyes, see the rain I’m by the portal with my hands out Tonight I’ll let desire beckon me it’s way I’ll let the shadow sauna wash in Now that you’re here, no other option See the place beyond the known map I was hazy in the high standing hills Love imagined with no limitations I see you and I see time stand still
7.
Farm 04:16
(Never let me go) I’m on a farm in South Abington Township I see the mare and drive away My bride’s waiting for me But I don’t want to keep her waiting Mysterious lesson I see your eyes and say your name Today I’m a messenger Dark alignment I embrace I spoke to you and in code You, exemplifying what the 5D holds You, my perfect partner You, my cryptic charmer You, so calm and cautious I’m amazed My love lives on a plane And when it presents itself overwhelmed and overtaken Silent and sacred, total, unknowable in shape Call you in closer, I look her brilliance in her eyes Emotional consequence, I’m attracted to her face A dawn, an arrival, a light Taken and captivated by the sound of the night You, foreboding omen You open the moment You, my one and only Make me wait I’ll be dressing in black today Down the township road we both will ride There’s a mystery that haunts this place Of eternal love and endless life The road I’m on is dark And so is the night ahead Let the secrecy awaken This path isn’t trusted But listen, you can trust me baby A dangerous game is played And the cost might be forever But you, you’re my double I trust in you ‘cause we’re the same Some things are hard to know Blessed is our arrangement, only you I hold You, a treasured blessing You, time never-ending You, the only code I’ve left to break I’ll be dressing in black today (you know that I’m here now) Down the township road we both will ride (and hoping you’ll find me) There’s a mystery that haunts this place Of eternal love and endless life And the world spins, red, green, black and gold Where the party never ends inside And the invocation moving on Never too large be the sacrifice
8.
Baby I’ve been thinking about you nonstop But I don’t say your name I met you in the summer near the cliffs I was young, I saw an angel I still feel like it’s that summer but it’s not baby I thought tempting fate would be the way into your heart I’s mistaken Baby I’ve been thinking bout you nonstop Now it’s getting late I’m on the edge, at the ocean and I’m thinking about you And when the sun goes down I think about you One silhouette A solo drive I’m riding fast so I could find you And I’ve found myself inside the past tonight Tonight we ride Maybe there’s a dark path in every road that’s chosen Maybe it’s my own self that’s leading me the wrong way I see the present lay its hands upon the past, shadow movement I feel the echo of the tide’s change in ways I can’t explain Baby I’ve been thinking about you nonstop at night Every stoplight, I let it remind me of home I see the moon I’m on the shore I’m only yours One silhouette A solo drive I’m riding fast so I could find you And I’ve found myself inside the past tonight A crystal lake A diamond eye I’m on the edge, at the ocean and I’m thinking about you When the sun goes down I think about you
9.
Assembly 02:54
There’s a message that I’m longing to know Something hidden in the walls of your life Fast rider made of blood, made of bone To a door that’s only open in the night What I’m looking for’s elusive and fine The door is open and I know where Babe I’m in the cold air Cold heart Singular and true And my new friends ride hard We meet under the moon Driving solo in the fastest of cars Send a message on an iPhone ten This morning in the Summit waiting for a call Tonight I’m meeting with my partner again I found a way to be forever and more I’m going to make myself immortal Tonight I’m going to head down Straight down to the Summit’s edge Reach out my hand Here am I again Still the shadow knows the way into my heart No one really knows me when it’s there But you can see the changing in my eyes You can feel the shining of the moon The road I’m on is pastoral and dark You can feel the stillness in the air I will ride steady to the end of the world I don’t care if it takes forever and more The coven’s meeting down at Jack’s, we start at 8 Sydney leads the way, I hardly say a word I just want to know there’s more to this pain Didn’t expect to see the crashing of worlds I just want to know that magic’s alive Our assembly is impatient Still we travel safely baby To the other side Where a new world awaits me Baby I’m alive In the cold air Cold heart Singular and true And my new friends ride hard We meet under the moon The road I’m on is pastoral and dark You can feel the stillness in the air I will ride steady to the end of the world I don’t care if it takes forever and more
10.
Step out the light Here we welcome night Take hold the patterns that give shape to our lives Stable and wise, but I’ve other sides I’ve danced with fire often enough I’ve given all entirely Then it’s time for a drive Speed high and through time First back down Dalton with my bonny beside Patient and kind, in perfect design Draw circles on the doors and walls Burn everything from both ends I stop and wait For favorable alignment The call to your heart is cold and bereft Total and dark Basking and blessed We ride with the best Yes Now we’re aligned Assemble cast, the silver shines I see the board I’m in the west with open eyes The moon shows a road sloped A place mysterious and wild Let’s watch this night become a pageant of circumstance I tasted god but for a flash - and then it melted away I took her hand and we prepared for the passing through I looked the angel in it’s eyes, it called me by name I hold the shadow and I laugh at the consequence I’m in the same place as before It’s happening again Notice the numbers, they’re the same coming back to you Step out the light Here we welcome night Forevermore One total soul and total mind I’m crossing over Eternal patterns and designs Romantic code I hold hope I can change my place in time And open up to all desire The night is dark now Hold onto me again And let intention be divine Reveal the mystery untied I see it’s dark out This night will never end (I’ll become the moment undefined and untamed Taking in the mountain I stop) Now that it’s dark out Come and take my other hand And in the calmness of the crisis I collapse and understand The night is dark now This night will never end
11.
I’ll travel every road and back There’s still so much I’ve to see I’m living life fast and boundless in desire I will make this moment last Bless my heart, I play with fire The shadow asks me for my hand I look at my love and laugh I’m way beyond that There’s nothing I would spare Forward up the hill I climb Only with my love I share I let the roaring of the rain relax my mind Just knowing in the morning I’ll be by her side I am the rider I’ll be with you and soon Libra my ascendant sign Pisces sun and Taurus moon Black cat, silver mare Silence in the night The moon, the mountain The byway and its bends The romance of the riverbank Mystery I’m here again I made a promise and with passionate demand With total heart and total head I do command Life eternal Love obvious and true Every morning when I wake Mystery, I’m tied to you
12.
I am the water and the trees The thoroughbred unfettered by the moment A pillar of emotion The eagle perched upon its peak The stationary sun in pastime golden The cube forever folding Maybe a dream within a dream The shadow of desire that entices A phantom love ignited Beyond the map is where we meet Keep the window Sentimental open Go and let the ghost in The setting sun across my grief I learned to capture the ethereal Like nothing that I’d held before Both picturesque and perfect Blessed by bereavement’s thief I conceive the space of seraphs and I see I’m watching you You’re watching me The ocean Consequence is deep One moment, I’m swept up in amazement Another moment, languish I need a feeling I can keep A cleansing bath of mystery and wonder And then I draw another Patterns that captivate and tease And at a traffic light in Narrowsburg I felt another sync Is this all simulated time Is this a turning of the key I’m at the doorway of desire and intrigue I’m watching you You’re watching me At the lake Rejuvenation Palomino partner heed Let me greet the one that’s patient and complete I’m watching you You’re watching me Is it a vision if we felt it Mystified and sharing dreams I see the siren and I welcome what she brings I’m watching you You’re watching me

about

Wicca Phase Springs Eternal has been the moniker and creative persona of Pennsylvania-based singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Adam McIlwee for over a decade. The name is as enigmatic as McIlwee’s work, a fittingly esoteric umbrella for his ever-growing and ever-evolving catalog of music that’s been released at a stunning quality and pace. So it’s with great intention that the name is now also the title of McIlwee’s latest full-length: Wicca Phase Springs Eternal offers the musician’s most finely honed and welcoming songs to date, but it’s more than just a self-titled album–it’s a portal, an entryway into an entire world.

As 2019 merged into 2020, the former Tigers Jaw member and Gothboiclique founder was looking to step away from the hyper-concentrated melancholic Trap of 2019’s Suffer On, and set out to breathe fresh life into the WPSE project by creating a broader sonic landscape. “Suffer On and a lot of the music I was making around that time was just so emotionally heavy,” McIlwee explains. “It felt like I was putting a lot on the listener and on myself. So I started thinking about early Wicca Phase and the world building I was doing–I was just throwing things at the wall then, but now I have ten more years of songwriting experience. I realized I wanted to just keep developing a depth to Wicca Phase, I didn’t want to just scratch the surface.”

Inspired by the musings of ‘60s and ‘70s British folk bands such as Fairport Convention and Pentangle, McIlwee hunkered down in the Western Catskills and Abington Township in Pennsylvania, absorbing the scenery and trying to translate the beauty of his surroundings into an immersive experience. He began to expand the WPSE lore and fashion a more colorful and descriptive body of work–one where he still wears his heart on his sleeve, but now all of the longing and heartache exist in a vivid space that’s strikingly real and otherworldly all at once. The sound of Wicca Phase began to grow as well: never wanting the project to be defined by a genre, McIlwee worked closely with longtime collaborator Darcy Baylis, as well as newcomer Ben Greenberg, to continue to bring new styles and moods into WPSE. Looking to incorporate his love of EDM, trance, and house sounds, McIlwee and co. created an amalgam of ‘80s and ‘90s breakbeat style drums, modernistic 808s, shimmering synths, and washes of reverberating guitar and organic bass.

The more McIlwee wrote, the deeper he went into the universe he was creating, and his heartfelt songwriting transformed into a moving and breathing sonic display of the fine line between reality and mysticism. “It felt like this could be a starting point if you don’t know what Wicca Phase is about,” he says. “You’re still getting the melodrama that’s in all my lyrics, but you’re also getting this description of the world–what it looks like, what it feels like. Why wouldn’t that be self-titled?”

McIlwee makes his intentions loud and clear from the start: Wicca Phase Springs Eternal’s latest album, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, opens with a song called “Wicca Phase Springs Eternal.” In cinematic fashion, the track’s three distinct movements draw the listener into the themes, settings, and sounds that permeate the record. McIlwee’s instantly recognizable baritone voice croons over bubbling synth arpeggiations and thumping beats, describing a blend of the natural (a lake, pines, wild horses), supernatural (magic, mystery, a tesseract), and unexpectedly mundane (a Subaru, a puffer jacket, a Dodgers hat), offering just enough grounding to leave the listener wondering if they’re in our world or on some other plane that only resembles it. “Sometimes when I’m writing I’ll be off in the fifth dimension and realize that I need to bring it back to the real world,” McIlwee says. “I’m not interested in music that’s totally ethereal–I want to relate to music and I want people to be able to relate to my music, too.”

That inescapable emotional core and McIlwee’s sincere nature still resonate throughout Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, but this time it’s stronger, imbued with a new wisdom. On “Farm,” he sings “My love lives on a plane, and when it presents itself overwhelmed and overtaken, silent and sacred, total, unknowable in shape,” his voice calling out into the night through driving breakbeats and pulsing synth lines before being swallowed up by his own echoes. Elsewhere, McIlwee and Zola Jesus duet on the fingerpicked outlaw ballad “Mystery, I’m Tied To You,” , while “One Silhouette” is Wicca Phase Springs Eternal’s version of a dance song, its pounding four-on-the-floor beat colliding into hazy slide guitar and McIlwee’s mournful hooks to conjure up an imaginary collaboration between Robert Smith and Underworld.

On “Who’s Watching Me,” a trip hop beat and ghostly keyboards create surprising uplift, like the moon shining through the clouds as McIlwee describes his arrival to “the doorway of desire and intrigue.” It’s a moment that sums up what Wicca Phase Springs Eternal does best: capturing both the romanticism and inscrutability of life’s biggest feelings. “I probably say the word ‘mystery’ a hundred times on this record,” McIlwee laughs. “That’s what I’m trying to bottle up–this idea of something that’s hard to know, but enticing. For whatever reason, my natural strength is writing about emotions, though my interest is always more in describing the moment and describing the intangible. I definitely will keep singing about heartbreak, but I want to do it in a different way.”

McIlwee’s devotion to traversing the unknown–both emotional and extra-dimensional–is palpable and contagious. When he sings “I spent hours trying to tap into the mystery” on the eponymous opening track, you believe him, and are also reminded of what a rare joy it is to be fully captivated by a piece of art that’s this richly detailed, while still leaving so many questions unanswered, so many twists left to be discovered with every listen. When Wicca Phase Springs Eternal ends, you find yourself compelled to play it again–to enter the portal and once more find out where it leads.

credits

released June 2, 2023

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WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL Scranton, Pennsylvania

occult love ballads

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misery club

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