Review by Austin Sher

Adding onto his already impressive discography, Phill Vidler has released another lovely album, titled This, Too, Shall Pass. Read on with us for our full review into the record, in addition to a bit of background on the artist himself.

For those unfamiliar, Phill Vidler is a British singer and songwriter, who weaves intricate arrangements and catchy melodies in with evocative lyrics. Vidler has previously been featured on British national television show 'This Morning' with his song ‘Letters' (from 2015’s ‘Heliotropic') and has performed on the same stage as artists like Craig David, Status Quo, Blondie, Jess Glynne, Jools Holland and Rudimental, in front of thousands in his hometown of Rochester, UK. 

His newest venture, This, Too, Shall Pass, is an introspective testimony about handling grief, of identifying facets of your life that you need to work on, and of having the courage to take those steps. As a multi-instrumentalist and self-taught producer, Vidler created the vast majority of this album in his bedrooms over the last five years in London, UK. This is the third time he’s recorded this album; he’d previously recorded the album twice and lost it due to data corruption twice. Suffice it to say that he’s got copious backups now. 

While we’d love to hear the early copies and demos of this record before the data corrupted, let us start this off by saying the end product turned absolutely beautiful in ways we couldn’t imagine. Coming in at a track length of 12, spanning 44 wonderful minutes, is perhaps Phill’s most ambitious record yet. If the opening 2 tracks aren’t enough to absorb you into the world he’s created, we honestly don’t know what to tell you. The instant wash of intense emotion and dramatic soundscapes come over you like you would never expect.

As far as production is concerned, it is absolutely flawless. Listening on a high quality pair of headphones will prove true just how much focus and time Phill put into the creation of this. He’s been making music for years at this point, and from what we’ve heard, this definitely pops out as one of the most inviting things he’s released. The overall crispness, varied instrumentation, and his lush vocals made for such an enjoyable listening experience that we just had to listen through twice.

Here and there you can feel glimmers of drama within the sonically dense atmosphere that was created. Full of acoustic guitars, angelic vocals, and so much more makes for a complete album that requires 100% focus. As we keep repeating, there’s a lot to unpack here within the lyricism and instrumentation, so we recommend not multitasking while listening. This is preferably a late night, end of day, solo listening experience that you’ll want to devote some free time to.

With all this being said, we are highly recommending and encouraging you all to take the time and experience what we’re loving. For all things Phill Vidler, to listen to This, Too, Shall Pass, and to keep up with all future releases and information, please check out the following links below.

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