ARTIST.....: We Are Only Human Once TITLE......: SevenEighteen LABEL......: Aftershave Records GENRE......: Alternative RIP DATE...: 2020-04-05 RETAIL DATE: 2019-12-06 RUNTIME....: 51:46 SIZE.......: 122,75 MB QUALITY....: 320Kbps 44.1kHz ENCODER/CODEC: LAME - MP3 (MPEG-2 AUDIO LAYER 3) URL........: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/We_Are_Only_Human_Once_SevenEighteen?id=Bplcecylstvbqs3l5svarlzc3i4 Track List: 01. Leave My Brain 3:22 02. Go Inside (Feat The Dartfrogs) 3:02 03. Sad Song 2:50 04. Fox 3:44 05. She 3:14 06. Go Inside (Reprise) 1:30 07. Gone (Feat Ken M) 9:21 08. I Love You 3:45 09. Bleed Right 2:42 10. Hands 6:54 11. Feel Another Daywashing Through The Rivers Of 5:15 Sand 12. Faces Leave (Feat Case Southerland) 6:07 Release Notes: This is WOHO's first real sad album. This is a personal album, and it's a personal album done right (for the most part). Now, what do I mean by first "real" sad album, now I'm not saying WOHO's other releases are happy by any means but this is the first album where Addie really gets personal, without the use of odd lyrical choices or just overall bad sounds. Nothing is hidden here, behind a story or odd metaphors *cough* Anxious Wreck *cough*. The songs on here feel personal and almost needed. Sometimes someone has to go through something tragic, to produce their magnum opus, is this WOHO's magnum opus? Well, that's up for you to decide. Now this was an almost unexpected release, as Addie stated Prettiest Boys would be the final release of 2019, then this dropped at the tail end of the year, going through multiple name changes this was originally going to be Fox, then was renamed to Trent and then finally named SevenEighteen, the new name another reference to the topic and overall feel of the album; maturity and personal feelings. This is WOHO's most mature album, there are no cringy skits here, no odd monologues, no weird metaphors that ultimately make no sense and no concept either (a concept isn't a bad thing but I feel artists can be more personal without, for the most part) this is a purely personal album, and it's an incredibly mature one at that; each one of these 12 tracks (13 if you want to include the hidden track) deal with personal conflicts and each have well-written, mature and personal lyrics. Now the album does have a loose concept, the album is dedicated to Addie's late friend, who died of cancer earlier this year, which was what the album's name was originally based upon (Trent was his name) but it was changed to SevenEighteen instead, to reference the passing of time, and more obviously Addie's changing from 17 to 18. The album opens with the song Leave My Brain, which is a classic noise pop song, with big beats and catchy hooks while still keeping personal lyricism throughout, the first leg of the album remains fun and poppy, catchy and noisy but, as the album progresses it does become more bittersweet and melancholic. I would consider the turning point to be Gone, the 9 and a half minute song that sits in the centre of the record, from this point the album becomes more personal, less shrouded in noise, the walls come down and we're left with only the heart-tugging lyrics that Addie sings to us sweetly, about his own self-hatred, the loss of his friend and just overall, his struggles living and even talking about suicide. We see Addie break down at points almost, in songs like Bleed Right, we see that reference to suicide, hidden behind happily sung vocals, which overall makes the effect more hard-hitting. It's depressing yet relatable to an extent, while most can't relate with the overarching theme of the record, we can relate to the struggles of living that are presented here, it's more than just an overlook into Addie's mind, it's a relatable journey through maturity and depression; I don't want to make a direct comparison to Blonde but I can see similarities spark. While no this is not the next Blonde, it is in a similar fashion to said album, Blonde is a very mature record which deals with its given issues well and leaves you feeling happy but melancholic, this is the first WOHO album to do that too, and honestly it feels so rewarding hearing this. Going from my first ever encounter with WOHO being Anxious Wreck, which wasn't a bad record but was definitely lacking the depth and maturity needed for what it was trying to do, then we had Shaving Cream which at first glance I really enjoyed, but over time it grew off me and I came to realise that it was quite a shallow record but the ideas were there; they were thus realised in Prettiest Boys which was a really nice concept record based on two gay lovers, it was fleshed out sonically and featured a nice story, the only gripe I had once again, was the lyrical content of the record, with songs like Haven't Slept being massive outliers in their mediocrity or cringiness. Then something happened to Addie, personally; the death of a close friend, to a disease that claims so many lives, a monster of a disease, cancer. Time was taken to reflect before SevenEighteen was fully released today, and its maturity and depth makes me feel emotional, not just because of its surface themes, but because of what I went through along with Addie; knowing him throughout this time, and still knowing him now, enjoying his music to becoming a good friend, giving pointers and critiques where needed and he improved with time. Prettiest Boys was his best record, with songs like Dearest and Girls and Boys being amazing tracks, but songs like Haven't Slept bringing it downwards. SevenEighteen shows Addie's full potential as a musical artist, and overall is an emotional and rewarding listen. It tackles its themes maturely and it never feels tacky or forced. It feels unique to him, and honestly is a wonderfully fun, yet saddening listen. https://wereonlyhumanonce.bandcamp.com/