Joseph has been bubbling in popularity ever since his 2021 debut EP Ultramarine (not to be confused with the 1986 album by A Primary Industry that predates shoegaze in style). Many praise him for his versatile musical style which not only plays with hip hop and R&B, but he also embraces rock influences, downtempo or airy beats, and expressive use of synths. And while some artists share the same qualities as Joseph, few are able to implement them in the same way.
Forever Ends Someday marks his very first studio album and it is one that Joseph wastes no time in showing his full potential. His uses song structures and production to help him articulate his feelings in a more impactful way – particularly when there’s a beat-switch. For instance, on “Peace of Mind”, an a cappella barrage of declarations starts off before cutting to a downtempo beat that deals with the constant sacrifices made to rise to the top.
The more theatrical use of the beats and production are a recurring theme. “Distant Man” flips between a ballad-like intro with a piano to the shuffling UK Garage rhythm for the buildup before the empty ending to highlight the struggles Joseph went through in his life. “White Tee” opens with a more industrial-like sense of metallic percussion that hooks you in on the crippling effects of trauma and regrets through the gradually claustrophobic maximalism in its vocal layering. “If Time Could Talk” similarly uses many background vocals to reflect on the continual impact of past experiences while “Pluto Baby” saw intensifying waviness in the guitars to reflect the fading memories of a lost love.
Fans of someone like Tyler, the Creator will most likely find Wesley Joseph similar in their musical styles, at least with this album. Both exhibit a fond mixture of rapping with the more interpersonal use of neo-soul to pave way towards the fragilities of their personal lives. And in addition, there is also a clear love of using choral-like backup singers to add to the ambitious textures that define their work.
“Quicksand” sees the backing singers croon to Joseph’s plea for forgiveness in his pursuit for greatness that loses him his relationship. “Blinded” contains vocalisation that is phantasmal to the suffocating loneliness and mental health illnesses that acts as the metaphorical albatross to ruin more love lives. “Seasick,” “Shadow Puppet,” and “Mind Games” are perhaps most reminiscent in comparison to the acclaimed Flower Boy for how lush the instrumentation sounds. There’s a sharp sense of dissonance between the accompaniments and the lyricism where the choral singing masks the constant showing of vulnerability in a relationship.
This similarity however shouldn’t be simply used to dismiss Wesley Joseph as a kind of copycat who is good at what he does. There is still variety in Forever Ends Someday which pinpoints his artistry as distinct from others. “July” is led by an acoustic guitar and a featured vocal performance from English singer Jorja Smith which, with clap-like percussion, makes amends to a relationship that runs its course. “Manuka” takes on a more discordant use of synths and electronic notes to illustrate the unravelling of remembering a loved one. And in “100 Miles,” the focus shifts from the graveyard of lost loves and personal failures to the promises made to the family to make them proud. The lyrics are vivid like memories with nostalgia around frequent rains that mix with the desire to become successful for them. There are hard-hitters to discover.
Forever Ends Someday is a solid debut from Wesley Joseph which puts a big shine on how well he is able to produce and write his materials. The beats prove slick with how they are able to further express his feelings, the lyrics are solid with bits of metaphors sprinkled for impact, and the production itself enlivens the whole experience. It wouldn’t be out of place for Joseph to come back in the next few years with a bigger masterpiece. One that would establish himself as one of the best in his generation.
