Remix albums are usually the kind of thing bands put out when they’re running low on ideas or their label needs a quick cash grab. You know the type—some DJ nobody’s heard of throws a beat under a vocal track and calls it a day. Lazy. Forgettable. Absolute garbage.
“Forever Could Never Be” ain’t that.
Portland’s own Kallai (that’s “call-eye,” for the uninitiated) have taken their 2025 debut We Are Forever—already a ripper of an alt/shoegaze record that landed on Destroy//Exist’s Best of 2025 list—and handed it over to a pack of sonic maniacs. And thank god they did.
Let’s talk about who showed up to play in Kallai’s sandbox. You’ve got The Stargazer Lilies—storied shoegaze veterans who’ve been warping minds for years—kicking things off with a remix of “The Beautiful Ones.” Then Tears Run Rings gets their hands on “Falling.” Callière drops in. And the Portland local crew? Absolute killers: Ten Million Lights, Hexxes, Reclaimed, and boredom & Romance all step up to the plate.
This isn’t some thrown-together mess. These are heavy hitters, and they treat Kallai’s songs like a piece of raw meat—tearing into them, reshaping them, dragging them through genres you wouldn’t expect. Lounge pop? Yeah, it’s in there. Dance industrial? You bet your ass.
That opener—”The Beautiful Ones (The Stargazer Lilies Remix)“—comes in at just over six minutes, and every second counts. The original had this driving post-punk aggression. The remix? They slowed the pulse down. Made it hazy, dreamlike in a way that still hits you right in the chest. Deep reverbs. Textured synths. Vocal washes that float like a ghost you can’t shake. This is the kind of track you put on at 2 AM when you’re staring at the ceiling questioning every life choice that got you here.
“Amor Occidit Omnia (Newphasemusic Remix)“; that title? Yeah, “love destroys everything.” No kidding. The mood drops into something darker—cavernous guitar tones, that signature Kallai wall of sound, but twisted into something more rhythmic, more electronic.
Then “Protector (Sad Goth Girl Version)”—and look, the name alone tells you exactly what you’re getting into. Exactly the kind of ethereal, meditative darkwave that makes you wanna light a candle, put on black lipstick, and stare dramatically out a rain-streaked window. No shame. We’ve all been there.
“Another World (Hexxes Remix)”—the longest cut here—and holy shit, does Hexxes use every second. This isn’t a remix. It’s a reconstruction. They take the bones of the original and build something that pulses and breathes like a living thing.
You get two versions of “Always/Never“—the “Hey Playgirl Version” and the “Callière Remix“. Two different angles on the same track, both valid, both killer. That’s what makes this whole record work—there’s range here.
And closing it out? Two versions of “As Night Falls.” Reclaimed takes it for brooding, cinematic darkness. Then boredom & Romance steps in for the version that somehow says just as much in less time. Economy of destruction. Love to see it.
Kallai came out of Portland in 2024 with a distinct sound—alt/shoegaze that caught fire quick. Single “Always/Never” dropped in March. “Palisades” followed, post-punk infused, and landed on KEXP’s Audioasis Best of PNW 2024 list. The debut LP We Are Forever dropped October 2025 on Little Cloud Records. The Big Takeover paid attention. Get Some Magazine paid attention. Destroy//Exist gave it a Best of 2025 nod.
Now we’ve got “Forever Could Never Be“ —out now on Bandcamp, hitting all streaming platforms June 1, 2026. Cover art by Cate Hukle and Renee Gross. Photo by Renee Gross.
And here’s the thing—this isn’t some throwaway cash-in. This is a vital companion piece to the original album. It transforms the emotional weight and defiance of We Are Forever into something otherworldly. Cinematic. The kind of record you put on when you wanna feel something.
Well done, Kallai.