“A Countenance in Involution” - I Forget Myself
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Every few years, an artist manages to reinvent their sound without losing the essence that makes their music matter. In 2025, that artist is I Forget Myself. With the release of his eighth full-length album, A Countenance in Involution, the critically acclaimed alternative rock force delivers a sweeping, cinematic exploration of emotional complexity, identity, and the raw tension between reflection and transformation.
Even before hitting play, the title itself promises something deeply introspective — “a countenance in involution” suggests a face turned inward, and that’s exactly the kind of experience this album offers: immersive, layered, and unafraid to stare directly into the darker corners of the soul.
But this isn’t some chaotic emotional freefall — it’s intentional, crafted with the precision of an artist who’s not only technically seasoned but also emotionally in tune. Over the past five years, I Forget Myself has dropped eight albums and this one might be his most artfully realized yet. Backed by longtime collaborator Kyle Reece Williams on drums and shaped by Clint Watts’ crystal-clear mixing and mastering, A Countenance in Involution sounds massive — without feeling overproduced. There’s space to breathe, but the atmosphere is always thick with feeling.
From the opening track, you can tell this isn’t just another “rock” album. Sure, the alternative rock roots are there — gritty guitar textures, pulsing basslines, explosive drums — but there’s also a heavy dose of experimentation woven through the album. Think Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief meets Nine Inch Nails, with some Muse-level grandeur for good measure. Synths blur into distortion, reverb-laced vocals stretch and collapse, and rhythmic patterns play with expectations. It’s music that challenges you — and rewards repeat listening.
Lyrically, the album is a masterclass in poetic vulnerability. I Forget Myself has always had a knack for writing songs that sound like journal entries crossed with philosophical essays, and A Countenance in Involution continues that tradition with even greater depth. Themes of alienation, spiritual disillusionment, rebirth, and fragmented memory drift through nearly every track — but there’s also a surprising thread of resilience that pulls everything together. It’s not hopeless music; it’s searching music. It's the soundtrack of a mind trying to reconcile everything it's seen and lived through.
The album exudes dreamlike ambiance and layered vocals that bleed into each other like watercolors, industrial drums and dissonant guitar riffs that feel like they’re fighting their way out of a steel box. It’s a slow-burning meditation on the balance between light and shadow that morphs into a full-blown sonic storm.
The internationality of the artist’s life — born in South Africa, European ancestry, based in Hong Kong — subtly infuses the album as well. The sense of being an outsider, of existing between cultures and identities, seeps into the music’s DNA. But instead of feeling untethered, A Countenance in Involution feels grounded in its complexity.
For fans, this is another high-water mark in an already impressive catalog. For new listeners, it's an ideal entry point: bold enough to stand on its own, but connected to a deeper story that spans years. And with over 938K Spotify streams under his belt and international radio play to his name, I Forget Myself proves that indie doesn’t mean amateur — it means uncompromising artistry.
A Countenance in Involution isn’t background music. It’s an experience — one best consumed in full, with headphones on and distractions off.
Prepare to get lost — and maybe even find yourself along the way.
“A Countenance in Involution” is available now on all major streaming platforms
Follow I Forget Myself - Spotify | Soundcloud | Instagram | Tiktok | Bandcamp | Youtube | Website | Facebook | X
Listen to I Forget Myself and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Indie & Alternative’