- An impressive, mainstream-baiting heel turn from the leftfield UK producer that occasionally pulls too many punches.
- There's always been an element of intentional scatterbrain to Joseph Thornalley's productions. It's a distinct charm. His debut album as Vegyn, Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds, was skittery electronica that ramped up and down whenever it pleased—not just in between tracks, but during them. Its over-excited giddiness, with absurd samples that ranged from surreal Adult Swim cartoons (Xavier: Renegade Angel) to mega-processed Three 6 Mafia, was just shy of manic but effortlessly digestible, with its dreamy synth backdrops and muted hip-hop beats. Taking it even further, Thornalley often dumps fractured, bite-sized tracks into his rough, fresh-out-the-DAW, 70-track-plus mixtapes. His latest album, The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions, just slightly overcorrects with its mainstream-seeking direction, opting for more James Blake-esque electronic pop and reeling in the eccentricities.
The album has a vivid emotional theme of optimism, particularly in its first half. Thornalley depicts a heartwarming and realistic world. He celebrates small victories on "Another 9 Days" ("Another nine days alive / It's only a short time before I get wise"), offers reassurance on "Halo Flip" ("And even when you disappear you know that you can come right back") and appreciates beauty on "A Dream Lives On Forever" ("Listen to the birds sing / ‘cause the sun still shines"). Noticeably missing, however, is his sense of humor, which has been a key part of his sonic personality. The twangy melody punctuated by a whinnying horse that goes into light footwork on 2019's "Cowboy ALLSTAR" would be absolutely unwelcome here. And that's a shame.
If the twitchy, sample-heavy sound of Thornalley's past work is an action-packed flipbook, The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions reads more like a slow-burning novel, with sustained, fleshed-out ideas. His signature wistful melodies, whether orchestral or electronic, are as gorgeous as ever—you could whistle "Time Well Spent" as a cozy lullaby to a newborn—but Thornalley tends to wallow in them a bit too long instead of moderately indulging. "Halo Flip," complete with triumphant strings, Lauren Auder's booming vocals, a lo-fi breakbeat and cheeky radio tags, could be one of his best tracks, but it inexplicably persists for seven minutes when it does what it needs to in three.
While the album's narrative comes through loud and clear, Thornalley's production remains the highlight, and stands out the most on the instrumental tracks. "Makeshift Tourniquet" is a punchy, deep house treat à la Logic1000, while "The Path Less Traveled" makes use of pillowy, spine-tingling synths alongside a jazzy drum kit. "Stress Test" almost sounds like peak Flume before a surprising guitar melody comes in, signaling that Thornalley is not fully retiring his knack for sonic and emotional juxtaposition.
Thornalley is capable of writing hits—think Frank Ocean's "Nights," or those woozy bangers for Travis Scott)—but what makes him unequivocally Vegyn are his shape-shifting, toothachey vignettes. The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions sometimes feels like a bridge between his two forms, and at other times a compromise. The penultimate "Last Night I Dreamt I Was Alone," however, pushes the LP into the black, a clear standout that brandishes some promising rave sensibilities while including a signature 180 beat flip. By letting his pop and hip-hop songwriting bleed into his solo productions, Thornalley allows himself to expand upon the emotional aspects of his music—sometimes at a cost.
Tracklist01. A Dream Goes On Forever feat. John Glacier
02. Another 9 Days feat. Ethan P. Flynn
03. Turn Me Inside feat. Léa Sen
04. Halo Flip feat. Lauren Auder
05. Everything Is the Same
06. The Path Less Travelled
07. Makeshift Tourniquet
08. Time Well Spent
09. In the Front feat. John Glacier
10. Trust feat. Matt Maltese
11. Stress Test
12. Last Night I Dreamt I Was Alone
13. Unlucky for Some…