Mossy Oak Shadow might seem like a drastic pivot for the Wicca Phase Springs Eternal fans who got on board through his beat-driven modern classic albums, like 2016’s Secret Boy or 2018’s Suffer On–but it shouldn’t come as a total surprise. WPSE releases have always dabbled in stripped-down acoustic songs, and even further back there’s Andrzejewski’s earlier work as a member of emo/indie stalwarts Tigers Jaw. When he left that band to focus on Wicca Phase in 2013, he was met with skepticism from listeners who were hesitant to embrace his new persona and experimental trap sound. Ironically now Andrzejewski has so thoroughly established Wicca Phase Springs Eternal that he’s once again challenging his fans with a stark sonic shift–but this time by returning to the guitar-oriented songwriting he’d set aside.
Purple Ponds of Romance Vinyl from Run For Cover Records.