EP Review: Incontrol

Otautahi musician Goodwill released his debut EP Incontrol on the 19th of August.

The solo project of musician Will McGillivray, formerly of successful Kiwi band nomad, Incontrol is the result of six years of work in Will’s home studio in Christchurch. Self-written and self-produced, with co-production by Andrew Maury (Lizzo, Sean Mendes, Death Cab for Cutie) Incontrol is a collection of slow burning indie tracks.

The release of lead singles Get Angry, Getting Better and Clinging Onto You have seen Goodwill nominated for Best New Artist at the Rolling Stone New Zealand Awards. Lead singles have charted on the Hot NZ Singles chart, and have been playlisted across Spotify.

The EP is a blend of industrial electronic elements, as well as raw acoustic guitars and brooding vocals across the EP’s six tracks. Goodwill shows off his knack for crafting songs that stand out on their own, yet still manage to work cohesively together as a whole.

We begin with lead single and first track Get Angry. Beginning with lo-fi drums that are reminiscent of The Naked and Famous‘ All Of This, the chorus leans into a brighter tone, with warm guitars and thoughtful lyrics. The dissonant verses contrast nicely with the more hopeful sounding chorus. I could listen to this track over and over again quite happily, if only to hear the brilliant line “Boy racers and their shit cars are getting louder, so I never feel alone.”

Up next is Clinging Onto You, a slower track with yearning lyrics and catchy melodies. The track is strong melodically and a stand out on the EP. Third track Getting Better sees a shift to a softer, acoustic side of Goodwill. Layered vocals mirror artists like Bon Iver, with the song also being something that could feature on a Phoebe Bridgers’ album. The acoustic guitar cuts through the fuller production of the first two tracks well. Next is Digitally Obsessed, a track about the complexity of online relationships. The song builds up nicely with a soaring chorus. The introduction of percussion in the second verse drives the track forward effectively.

Fifth track is my personal favourite, I’m A Man. Cathartic and uplifting, the song has a big chorus which gets bigger and better each time it’s played. Goodwill’s falsetto creeps through in the final moments of the chorus. Auto-tune seeps into the second verse, reminiscent of the Lucy Dacus track Partner In Crime. Electric guitars similar to The Temper Trap paired with haunting harmonies make this track goosebump inducing in the best way possible. Incontrol concludes with Still Feeling It Out, another acoustic track with delicate vocals. A soft conclusion to this interesting collection of introspective tracks.

On first listen of Incontrol, I was drawn into the thought provoking lyrics and distorted instrumentation, paired with acoustic elements. By the third and fourth listens, I was hooked. Incontrol is a clever debut from a clever musician. I look forward to seeing what else is next for Goodwill.