Avant pop artist Will Wood’s new release IN CASE I DIE features live recordings of songs from his 2022 album In case I make it and six older songs, along with two new tracks, all to kick off a hiatus. 

Wood’s music can only be described as infinitely shifting—one song is macabre and the next is a similarly saddening song, but with a joyful and uplifting tone, so happy that you may find the dismal lyrics shocking. Much of his music explores his struggle with self-identity, something I can definitely relate to, which is what pulled me into his music in the first place.

Wood’s lyricism is one-of-a-kind. Never have I found anything that so fully captures the essence of the turmoil that comes with introspection.

Wood’s more recent music is especially deceiving with joyful tones meshed with painful lyrics, and “Misanthropologist” and “…And if I Did, You Deserved it” certainly maintain this as the two new songs from the album.The two will leave you screaming the lyrics from the absolute depths of your soul in an attempt to release feelings you didn’t even know you had.

Earlier songs that were included are “The Song With 5 Names,” from the Self-ish album, “Laplace’s Angel,” “Love, Me Normally,” and “I/Me/Myself” from The Normal Album,“Jimmy Mushrooms’ Last Drink,” “Skeleton Appreciation Day,” and “The First Step” from Everything is a Lot as well as eleven songs from the In case I make it album.

In case I make it, is objectively Wood’s most unique album, as it shifts from musical entropy to a more calmly foreboding negentropy. The album is thought among Wood’s fans to be his “Better-Now” album, claiming that because he’s not writing about hedonism or malaise, he’s in a better mental state. Though Wood disregarded the allegations, the album was received well by fans nonetheless with plenty of positive feedback, allowing for the In Case I Die tour and album.

“I’ve never felt as accepted by my audience as I do now and I could not thank you enough for that,” Wood said to his audience during a live recording of “White Noise.” “So thank you.”

From heartbreaking songs like “Jimmy Mushrooms’ Last Drink” to angst with a pernicious undertone in “Laplace’s Angel,” the album covers songs from all of Wood’s past albums. Wood has made a 360° shift in his music, and though I miss his old jazzy rock, it’s a change made for the better.

With his change, Wood is creating a more authentic, true-to-self sound. After the release of the album, Wood announced an indefinite hiatus during his livestream.

“[Over the pandemic,] I decided to start making some new material that I could put a more authentic and real and direct version of myself as an artist and human being out into the world, ” Wood said during a live video after the release of the album, “you know — in case I die.”