Song 36 // Wicca Phase Springs Eternal - "Stress" ft. Georgia Maq
No longer a man, I am the artist now
Visibly engaging, visibly stressed out
I can't understand what I'm upset about
My world has a dome and you're atop it now
“Stress” is the Wicca Phase Springs Eternal song that I keep coming back to. I’m a huge fan of his work but there’s something special about “Stress.” Wicca Phase Springs Eternal is the founder of the emo rap collective, GothBoiClique, which grew in popularity with Lil Peep’s rise to fame.
The underground genre mixes elements of emo, goth, and rap and you may have encountered the term “SoundCloud rap” as a descriptor of the genre. It’s fitting that Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, the stage name of Adam McIlwee, has become a figurehead of the movement as he use to be a member of the emo rock band Tigers Jaw.
But the arts we practice here are of a different kind
See, it really takes a lot for me to take what's mine
Heart is in the way, beating through my spine
But I don't think that I'm ever gonna cross that line
As alluded to earlier, what makes “Stress” so special is that it’s a perfect pairing of vocals between the duet of McIlwee and guest artist, Georgia Maq, of the indie rock band Camp Cope.
It was the kindness that corroded me
And I only ever see you now
In the visions in my bad dreams
In the darkness that's inside me
Maq’s singing flows effortlessly alongside the trap beat produced by the artist Fish Narc. The back and forth nature of their singing complements each other’s vocal styles and comes together in harmony on the chorus.
Are we close enough? Have we gone too far?
Now that I can't separate the man from the art
You asked me if I came, I don't know if I lied
But I don't think that I'm ever gonna cross that line
The song was a result of their record label, Run For Cover, suggesting a collaboration between Wicca Phase and Camp Cope since both artists were fans of each other’s work and it would help “bridge the gap between GothBoiClique” (billboard) and signing with the mostly emo/indie rock record label.
You treated me like you don't care
And something upsets me about it
Cause you need me and I'll be there
Until I'm too weak, I'll be there
// press play
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