“A Countenance In Involution” is the latest release by I Forget Myself, an outstanding singer-songwriter currently based in Hong Kong. Arriving after “Some Err Then Winter,” a critically acclaimed album released in 2024, “A Countenance In Involution, ” his highly anticipated eighth full-length studio album showcases his tremendous songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities. This particular material arrives with many fresh, unique, innovative approaches, techniques, and sonic explorations, demonstrating the natural progression of an already incredible artist. It’s a collection of eleven wonderful songs that will unquestionably appeal to anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music. Stylistically, “A Countenance In Involution” embraces calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, psychedelic, and otherwordly soundscapes yet there are vividly hearable voyages into more groovy, dynamic, powerful, aggressive segments where I Forget Myself also shines in the limelight. Still, for this material, the artist focuses on the nearly cinematic ambiance, tackling all the senses and indulging listeners with tremendous lyricism, brilliant ideas, and marvelous orchestrations. Lyrically, “A Countenance In Involution” covers various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making it such a highly relatable collection of songs that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. Sonically, there are a lot of things going on throughout the entire album, but everything is wisely packed into a cohesive whole. Perhaps art rock comes to mind first, but you’ll also notice how some of the finest properties borrowed from modern psychedelic rock, post-rock, alternative, grunge, indie, dream pop, and cinematic ambient lurk around. I Forget Myself uses all these additional sonic ingredients as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to elevate his music to new heights while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. You’ll hear how all those qualities that meet the trends in contemporary music production resonate throughout the entire album, making “A Countenance In Involution” such a pleasant listening experience worth repeating over and over again.
As soon as you press play, you’ll notice how “Silence” sets the tone for the entire album. It’s one of those compositions that vividly presents what you might expect from the remainder of the material, and I Forgot Myself wisely placed this track as an overture for such an epic sonic journey. The artist gradually reveals the otherwordly ambiance by implementing delicate chord progressions, intricate basslines, marvelous rhythmic patterns, and mindblowing vocal harmonies. His voice guides you on this voyage while the instrumentations serve as a perfect backdrop upon which his voice shines upon. Tracks like “What It Is To Know” and “Our Common Flame,” further cement this foundation with excellent interplay between several guitar layers. It’s nearly mindblowing how these layers resonate in the mix without overwhelming each other, showcasing I Forgot Myself’s dedication to the craft. These are also songs where the rhythm section dictates groove, details, and pace with precision and finesse. The comprehensive collection of complex low-ends and Kyle Reece Williams’s drumming performance make wonders during each segment, making these tracks stand out of the material. Songs like “Exist,” Discard The Thought,” “A Wish Eroded,” and “To Colour In Motion” demonstrate I Forgot Myself’s outstanding vocal abilities. His soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, emotive, powerful vocal performance elevates everything to new heights, commands attention, and guides listeners through the expansive sonic universe built upon cleverly arranged segments and orchestrations. The impressive vocal range seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, emphasizing everything intended to be achieved with this album. Besides decorating all those segments and instrumentations, his voice contributes more than necessary emotional depth and complexity over already intricate song structures. There are also additional layers, back vocals, and singalongs, subtly implemented beneath the main layers. These wisely incorporated vocal maneuvers definitely work to the advantage of these songs, making them even more pleasant to the ears.
Songs like “What It Is To Know,” “Our Common Flame,” “Remainded In View,” “Discard The Thought,” “The Precipice,” “A Wish Eroded,” and “Dividens” are just some of the examples how I Forget Myself thought about everything while assembling this material. Whether delving deep into the psychedelic soundscapes with all those reverby, ethereal, arpeggiated chord progressions, harmonies, melodies, and themes or exploring more raw, abrasive, gritty aesthetics with equally impressive riffs, his music carries qualities rarely heard or seen on the modern rock scene. The bass guitar also plays a significant role here, as it rumbles beneath all those lush guitar works, offering more heaviness, clarity, and depth while binding all those mentioned orchestrations with rhythmic patterns. The exceptional drumming performance of Kyle Reece Williams keeps the remainder of the instrumentations in line while dictating groove and depth with all those expertly, wisely, tastefully arranged rhythmic sequences. Every hit of the snare, kick of the bass drum, accentuation on the hi-hat, or splash over the cymbal cuts through the ambiance, making this material even more entertaining, fascinating, and ear-appealing.
“A Countenance In Involution” is not another modern rock album you stumble upon on streaming platforms every day. It’s a carefully threaded sonic fabric, built upon an impressive amount of delicate layers, suitable for not only fans of the genre but anyone who appreciates high-quality music crafted and performed with heart and soul. It’s a masterpiece constructed by I Forget Myself, a songwriter, composer, and producer who breaks all the rules and shapeshift the boundaries of contemporary music. Therefore, you should immediately place this fine piece of sonic artistry on your music radar. “A Countenance In Involution” is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
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