This is surely a pun title for an album release? Wil Stevens is a new artist, hailing from Sydney, Australia who is worth paying attention to. This is his second album release, with some interesting album artwork to match it. Although this isn’t your typical album release in any way, it is worth covering in detail in a review sense. Let’s hear it.

Its Rosier On The Other Side… At Least That’s What I Hear is a short synth-led introductory track that sounds great, very New Order-ish. It has some extra Electronic melodies enter, and this gets quickly underway musically. A pleasant, ethereal and decent listening listening experience that is a good tune overall. It launches into some Breakbeats, keeping the excitement and momentum going nicely. A great introduction to an exciting album.

Forescythe (Lime Light) begins with a quirky piano and launches into a straightforward listening experience with some interesting Electronic sounds and different singing. This is a very good listening experience that shows that, even for a 2023 release, there is something new and worthwhile hearing in a Pop music-based way. This music is very unusual and Wil’s voice is good, being rather deep in vocal range. The lyrics are about some of life’s woes. A very sweet and unusual listen, this sounds enjoyable and pleasant music. A very varied and quirky album to listen to. Towards the end, the whole thing slows down and has piano and hi-hats that gradually speed and build up in intensity, before a final return to the chorus occurs. A very good listen, and something interesting musically from 2023.

EIFOS begins with some strange, yet beautiful keyboard sounds and some interesting sonic patches to match that. Some different vocals that are multitracked and at different pitches enter, which is different. This is a very good listening experience about trying to have a lady that one desires, but who is constantly out of reach. A very, very good effort overall. The mixture of vocals, instrumentation and melodies present are satisfying and excellent to hear. A worthy listen, and with an unorthodox feeling musically with no autotune on the vocals. This does sound genuinely good. Towards the end, some crashing drums enter, in a Nine Inch Nails-styled frenzy. This gradually wraps up after three minutes in length and launches straight into the next track.

Dance/Die For Me begins with Acid House-style squelches and basic EDM beats, with some distorted vocals following. It quickly launches into an EDM piece with vocals that is decent, interesting and excellent to hear. It isn’t overly lengthy or relying upon additional and unnecessary sounds, it just works well. A really awesome and great listening experience, there is a strange keyboard-driven solo in the second half, followed by mellow vocals and a great approach musically. A great listen, and something that is very clever musically. Worth your time and ears. It ends with the main Electronic melody, a good job done Wil.

Cassette begins with some random noises, before entering into a strange pastiche of electric guitar chords and playing. This is less than a minute long but works incredibly well for the listener. A good effort.

Turn A Blind Eye begins with some clean guitar riffing, alongside some interesting Electronic sounds. Wil launches into some straightforward singing and the track heads into a really cool and interesting listening experience with some artistic lyrics throughout. Nonetheless, this music sounds really great and awesome. There are some interesting sounds, samples and EDM-based melodies throughout. A really cool, enjoyable and pulsating listen, the music here is a very good listening experience. It ends with some digital guitar soloing, which is the cherry on top. This eventually ends after three minutes, a good effort overall.

Shard (Boyfriend) begins with some basic drum machine-led beats and enters into a synth-heavy tune with some distorted vocals, once again. The lyrics here amongst the pseudo-Electronic Music reflect on relationships and pain throughout. A really good listen, and something that has a decent amount of musical character throughout. The music present is fairly unusual, but this still has a Pop sensibility to it. This is Alternative Electronic Music for those of you out there who crave it. In the second half are some Classical Music strings to match the tune, which is really nice and different. Wil pleads to be a lady’s boyfriend in this section, and this is followed by a mash-up of sounds and textures towards the end of this tune. It fades out quickly.

From Somewhere To Nowhere begins with some eerie keyboard sounds and digital percussion. This quickly launches into a catchy, interesting and moody tune. This sounds different, all right. It sounds like a hybrid of Joy Division and New Order, with a touch of melancholy about it. A good listening experience, and something that sounds interesting. Wil sings in a passionate, straightforward way. There are some vocoder vocals in the second half of this track, followed quickly by some interesting musical sounds throughout. A very good listen indeed, this music deserves a chance. It fades out sweetly at the end.

God Made Me This Way (God Made Me This Way) is a short intermission-styled piece, less than a minute long. It has some sweet Electronics and sound samples, which are really quirky and different. A good tune to hear, although this is fairly average music quality-wise.

Shadow begins with some awesome beats that sound really sensational. Some Acid House-based sounds enter, and this launches straight into a piece of music about being alone and lonely as a single person. Mind you, this tune is a listenable one, despite the morbid lyrical nature of it. A really cool and decent tune to listen to, this is simple music for those who like quirky Electronic Music. There is chanting in the second half of this track, followed by a musical breakdown. The beats eventually return and sound great. This is brutal and heavy music set to a lighthearted musical backing, which makes sense if you like that sort of thing. A good tune overall. The outro is spacey.

A Happier Song begins with some liquid flanger-based sounds, a 4/4 kick drum beat and enters into an unusual listen. Wil sings nicely here, and he makes a decent tune, albeit full of profanities. The high backing vocals at times can be annoying, to be frank, and aren’t needed here. In the second half are some weird spoken word parts, before this leads back into an interesting musical section. Again, the high-octave backing vocals aren’t the best, and should not have been added to this song. It ends with some Electronic patches and sustained guitars. It’s okay.

RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT begins with swirling keyboards, and launches into a song that is strange sounding about entering different locations and promptly leaving. Some interesting sounds and samples are present throughout this tune. This is quirky music, all right. It has digital vocals, cyber melodies galore and deep and interesting singing throughout. Nonetheless, this sounds really cool. A good listen from start to finish, Wil Stevens does a good job here at crafting his own music.

Grapes And Sunshine begins with some straightforward EDM drum beats and launches into a short and very weird tune that does what the title of the track says. It’s over fairly quickly, at less than a minute long.

Day/Night Divide begins with some awful guitar parts and has some other instrumentation build-up behind it. This is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Having said that, this is a good listen otherwise. It’s just that the choice of sounds and samples, on this track, could definitely have been bettered. The music overall is still keeping in line with the overall concept and musicality of the album. Wil Stevens sings from a deep and listenable place, and his lyrics are fairly understandable. Not a great song here, sadly. It wraps up after three minutes in length. Quite poor an effort, to be honest.

LoveFuckHugKissMissFightHide begins with some swirling and multitracked sounds, including organ as well. This quickly launches into a rather catchy song that is an interesting listening experience. This is a good song about chasing after a particular lady, and Wil Stevens puts in a great effort here. This is miles above the rest of the album, and the music here is really top-notch and excellent throughout. A dramatic, enjoyable and listenable piece of music, this is Wil’s best tune from this album so far. The singing and melodicism present are quite good to hear, and extremely catchy as well. It ends with a chaotic set of sounds, before concluding. Nice.

Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love begins with a slow fade-in of some interesting and intricate Electronic melodies and quickly launches into a song about guns and gunshots for lovers, quickly followed by a bunch of melodramatic melodies and singing to match. Wil Stevens makes for some interesting and original Electronic Music. Regardless of if you are a fan of this sort of music, this is a very good listening experience. A very pretty and interesting tune about the metaphorical nature of falling in love. In the second half is a rather ordinary sounding keyboard solo that doesn’t fit here nicely. The rest of the song is good, however. The music could be revised here if necessary. Eventually, this wraps up after over four minutes in length and the whole tune is a weird one. Good to hear, however.

Looking At Trauma Through Rose Tinted Glasses is a weird name for an intermission sort of piece. Still, it’s surprisingly good to listen to. It is a mixture of Classical and EDM-styled beats and works a real treat. It is barely over a minute long and fades out nicely at the end.

The Mediocre Symphony is by far the longest tune on this album. It begins with low-key keyboards and sounds throughout. Hi-hats and vocals quickly enter, and Wil Stevens sings a decent tune about being an unprofessional musician and being in love with those around him. Soon enough, this follows into a fantastic chorus that really should be remixed and done in a different fashion at some point. A good song, it seems that Wil has a lot of pent-up emotion inside of him, which he expresses in his music. Regardless, a really cool tune to listen to. This is surely a cynical attack on the nature of music itself. In the second half are strings, keyboards galore and no vocals for a bit. Soon enough, drum beats enter and this tune progresses along well with Wil’s raw and double-tracked vocals. He definitely has a great deal of potential as a musician and singer. A very, very good listen and this isn’t mediocre itself. Good job dude. It ends with the instrumental sounds from before. It ends with a sustained keyboard.

Second Chance At Life is the last track here, running at a minute long. It is a neat little musical pastiche of keyboard playing that fades in. Very catchy, and decent as well. The musicianship of Wil Stevens is not to be denied. Excellent to hear, the album finishes here with a fade out.

This is a good album that just falls short of being a great one. Having said that, there is a deep and resourceful mixture of EDM beats, Electronic keyboards and deep and meaningful lyrics to hear. Wil Stevens will continue to make more music in the future as well. Should you listen to this album? If you like quirky Electronic Music, do give this a try.

A good effort overall.

7/10