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- May 27, 2022
Infinity Forever Is The Final Chapter In Ian Moore’s Exploration Of Grief
For fans of hip hop and rap who like music exploring the complicated emotions around losing loved ones, Ian Moore’s Infinity Forever is a must listen. Infinity Forever is the final chapter of the trilogy of albums exploring Ian’s grief and emotions surrounding the death of his Grandpa and brother.
Listen to the first two albums, Infinity #12 and Twisted Syndicate.
The first song of the album, “Flyaway III (Intro),” sets the atmosphere and mood of Infinity Forever, with the music composition combined with Ian’s haunting vocals. The song also features a voicemail message to Ian’s brother, Ryan, and one from his Grandpa.
Like Flyaway III? Then give Flyaway I and Flyaway II a listen.
“Follow Me,” the second song on Infinity Forever, starts with a distorted piano, which is then joined by background vocals before Ian starts singing. His voice fades into the background of the instruments, giving an eerie feeling to the song, until the music fades so that the only instrument is the piano, and Ian’s vocals come in more clear. As Ian raps, the music comes in and out, and the clarity of his voice ebbs and flows with it, placing emphasis on the lyrics that the listener can hear more clearly.
“ACT III” is the first of three skits featured on Infinity Forever. On the previous album, Twisted Syndicate, ACT I and II show Ian being chased by police, with police dogs and heavy machine gun fire in the background. “ACT III” has Ian waking up in a different place, and meeting someone in a white suit with a clipboard informing Ian that he’s dead.
Listen to “ACT I” and “ACT II.”
The fourth song of Infinity Forever, “Wish On Stars,” explores complicated relationships, and the longing to return to a simpler time where Ian can just be with a particular someone. As he states in the lyrics, “I just wanna lay here/ Takeaway your fear/ And I don’t wanna fight/ Wishing on stars tonight.”
After the more mellow, “Wish On Stars,” the next song on the album, “Godlike” (ft. Futuristic) is all about inner confidence, emphasized by its infectious beat. It’s a song sure to pump anyone up in the morning and feel ready to take on the world. As Ian states,
“GODLIKE is a song about having confidence and facing the world head on. I know that confidence can come and go, but when I wrote this song it was during a point where all the pieces started to fall into place. I felt like I was able to take on the entire planet and could achieve any goal I had in front of me. The song is called what it is, because that’s exactly how I felt while creating it, Godlike.”
“Godlike” took on even more significance, as Ian’s brother was a fan of Futuristic, which made the single even more exciting to work on. As Ian says,
“His [Futuristic’s] music held a special place in my brother’s heart, and GODLIKE is largely about the story of my brother.”
Listen to “Godlike” here:
The next song, “Do It Alone,” juxtaposes the message of “Godlike,” as Ian expresses his exhaustion of feeling alone as he continues living after losing his Grandpa and Ryan. His exhaustion comes through in the way Ian raps, as he almost mumbles, as though he is incapable of speaking louder. Then, when he is expressing how he doesn’t want to “do it alone” anymore, his voice rises, and becomes clearer to the listener.
“Put Me On!/King Of Knights II Ft. B.Pags” brings the energy back up, and is reminiscent of “Godlike.” Ian is trying to fight against the feelings he expresses in “Do It Alone,” and finds ways to bring back the confidence he had in “Godlike.”
Enjoyed “Put Me On!/King Of Knights II Ft. B.Pags?” Then give the “King of Knights” a listen.
“ACT IV” is the second skit on Infinity Forever, and picks up right where “ACT III” left off. The man in the white suit introduces himself as, “an employee of God,” and reveals that the events of ACT I and II never actually happened. Instead, it turns out that Ian had a nightmare symbolizing the feelings he has around his brother’s death, which ultimately led to him having a panic attack that caused him to have a heart attack in his sleep. However, the man in the white suit tells Ian that he still has a chance to return from the afterlife.
The first song after “ACT IV” is “Waves,” which veers in a different direction from the rest of the album, as it discusses the end of a romantic relationship. “Waves” describes how the pain of the relationship ending comes and goes in time, especially when things happen that bring back the memories of that particular relationship.
“Serenity (Interlude)” is the next song on the album, serving as an interlude as Ian begins to move on from the feelings of grief, into healing and acceptance of everything that has happened. Ian is ready to find this peace and acceptance, as he asks, “Can you help me find/ Some serenity?”
“Just Come Home II” explores the romantic relationship from “Waves,” as Ian asks why they left him and ran away. He laments how it’s, “Too bad we can’t just stay young/ feel like our love is fadin’” and even questions the relationship as he asks, “Can we call this love still?/ Have we already had our last thrill?”
Enjoyed “Just Come Home II?” Then give “Just Come Home” a listen.
“Beautiful Thing II” features the acoustic guitar, along with a crackling distortion, adding a feeling of rawness to the song. The more simple production compared to the rest of the album adds sincerity to the message of the song, as Ian states how beautiful his past relationship was, and wonders about the memories his lover will have of him as time goes on.
Enjoyed “Beautiful Thing II?” Then give “Beautiful Thing” a listen.
“ACT V,” is the final skit on the album. It is the moment where Ian accepts that he needs to continue living and following his dreams, as his Grandpa and brother will always be with him. The final act ends with Ian’s acceptance allowing him to be able to see his loved ones who passed on, such as his dog Gizmo and his brother, Ryan. This transitions perfectly into the final track of the album, “See You In Heaven.”
“See You in Heaven,” is the conclusion of all the grief, pain, emotions and lessons Ian has learned after dealing with the death of his loved ones and the end of his relationship. It calls back to “Serenity (Interlude),” as the lyrics alternate between, “Serenity” and “See You In Heaven.” The song ends with the sound of a heart monitor beeping, as Ian returns to the hospital on earth from his time in the afterlife.
Ian’s exploration of his emotions surrounding the deaths of his brother and Grandpa, along with the end of a relationship, bring together a mixed bag of emotions into music that listeners can relate to.
For those who want to listen to the whole album, Ian Moore’s Infinity Forever drops today! To listen to Infinity Forever, check out Ian’s Spotify or listen below:
For more information about Ian Moore and to stay up to date on his music, check out his Instagram and Twitter.
