Wesley Joseph : Forever Ends Someday
It’s a rare thing to hear a debut album as rich and fully formed as Wesley Joseph‘s Forever Ends Someday, but it’s better to view it not as an introduction than the climactic endpoint of a first chapter. Forever Ends Someday is the result of a half-decade of cultivation and refinement, beginning with the 2021 EP Ultramarine and its follow-up, 2023’s Glow, each substantial enough to warrant being called a mini-album and leaving a big first impression with the West Midlands-born, London-based artist’s blend of R&B, synth-pop and rap. The seeds planted with those two brief but promising releases bear fruit on Forever Ends Someday, a full-length statement that showcases Joseph’s ambition matched by his versatility and strength of songwriting.
Recorded with a team of collaborators behind the boards and in front of the mic that includes Nicolas Jaar, A.K. Paul, Jorja Smith and Danny Brown, Forever Ends Someday is abundant in intricate details and layered arrangements, even when it’s economical in the space its songs occupy. Opening track “Distant Man” is a shape-shifting mission statement in a packed four minutes, morphing from a gorgeous and soulful ballad into a rap banger with rattling bass. It’s in these opening minutes where Joseph opens a window into the past, reiterating a loved one’s advice while turning it around into a message to the listener, “Used to tell me don’t let nobody speak for you/So the least I can do is sing for you.”
Joseph spends much of Forever Ends Someday gazing in the rearview, revisiting childhood vulnerability and the hedonism of his teenage years while crafting pop anthems and ballads that look forward, flecked with neon and coated in chrome. The infectious synth-pop of “If Time Could Talk” yields maximum impact from its robotic drum-machine beat, Joseph revealing the punchline to the title’s setup in its chorus: “it would say nothing but ‘I told you so.’” “White Tee” is bass-buzzing, big-beat electro-soul that’s darkly luxurious in its nihilistic pleasures, more “Novacaine” than “Sweet Life.” “Pluto Baby” gets intergalactic with its hedonistic encounter, its hypercatchy future funk all reflective surfaces and rubbery bass, with synths beaming in from all directions. Yet Danny Brown gets a rare opportunity to steal the spotlight on “Peace of Mind,” outpacing the Grim Reaper amid a soulful and haunting blues arrangement.
Forever Ends Someday eases off the accelerator in its second half, offering Joseph the opportunity to show what he can do with more space and at a reduced tempo. “Seasick” is one such moment, a vulnerable and gentle acoustic song that showcases the beauty of his songwriting when stripped to its barest—until the drums come booming in. The ambient pop ballad “Manuka” floats atop a gently abrasive bed of effects, whereas “Shadow Puppet” finds Joseph’s lyrical abilities as a rapper meshing fluidly with an atmospheric soul arrangement. Much in the same way the first side captures his ability to dazzle with hooks, highlights like these offer a glimpse at Wesley Joseph’s knack for subtlety. A platform for Joseph’s maturity as a songwriter as much as the breadth of his ambition, Forever Ends Someday delivers on his early promise with unwavering confidence and an undeniable set of songs.
Label: Secretly Canadian
Year: 2026
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Wesley Joseph : Forever Ends Someday
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