There are tracks that play like scenes, and then there are tracks that feel like entire neighborhoods—complex, layered, contradictory. With Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, William J. Sullivan delivers a vivid new single that captures the quiet hostilities, unease, and surreal calm of modern adulthood. The track, out June 20, features Philadelphia rapper Zilla Rocca, whose signature lyrical clarity cuts straight through the haze.
This release is a standout from Sullivan’s upcoming album Just Call Me Bill, a body of work that assembles a panoramic collage of influences: from ambient synths to MPC-style blown-out drums, metal guitar lines to lo-fi textures. It is, at once, abrasive and atmospheric. The result is a distinct sonic identity—one that embraces contradiction and relishes in the grey areas.
Sullivan is no stranger to complexity. A seasoned producer, mixer, and songwriter, his fingerprints can be found across records by Kid Cudi, Rosalía, Phoebe Bridgers, Denzel Curry, and Paris Texas. But Good Fences marks something different: a piece that distills the full spectrum of his creative voice into a single track—raw live drums, detuned guitars, heavy low-end, and subtle emotional architecture all orbiting around a hypnotic, looping hook.
“It was the second song I made for this project,” Sullivan says. “I wanted to touch on every part of my style—drum break played live, low-tuned noisy guitars, bangin’ kicks and 808s. But it was the first time I made something that was heavy without being ‘mean.’ That felt new.”
Lyrically, the track finds its core in Zilla Rocca’s razor-sharp reflections on suburban escapism. Known for his incisive writing and deep catalogue within the underground rap world, Zilla brings clarity and tension to the track’s suburban malaise. Inspired by a scribbled phrase in his notes—“good fences make good neighbors”—he builds a narrative around the illusion of escape: leaving behind urban chaos for a life of lawns and garages, only to discover that the internal battles remain.
“The beat was confrontational,” Zilla recalls. “So I wanted the lyrics to contrast that. The idea of moving to the suburbs and still carrying that hair-trigger city tension—it felt perfect.”
There’s a striking sense of balance in Good Fences: between aggression and detachment, rhythm and disarray, disillusionment and wry humor. That friction is intentional. Sullivan and Zilla first crossed paths years ago in Philadelphia’s scene, and this track feels like a natural return. A collaboration born of mutual respect, long memory, and a shared artistic shorthand.
“We’ve all had ‘that neighbor,’” Sullivan laughs. “Zilla nailed it. He got to the heart of that daily adult pressure and how fast things can spin out. It felt like a full-circle moment for us.”
The single is just one part of the world Sullivan is building with Just Call Me Bill, which features a cross-generational array of collaborators—from longtime peers like Curly Castro to college-era idols like Rob Sonic and Dose One, and current avant-garde innovators like Paris Texas and Luci.
With Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, William J. Sullivan isn’t just offering a new single—he’s delivering a worldview. It’s one shaped by decades in studios, venues, and neighborhoods; one that hears dissonance not as something to fix, but as something to explore.
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Release Date: June 20, 2025
Single: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors (feat. Zilla Rocca)
Album: Just Call Me Bill (forthcoming)
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At SONGLENS, we celebrate artists who break boundaries by bending form. William J. Sullivan’s music doesn’t settle for a genre—it creates its own zip code. And with Zilla Rocca on board, the fences don’t just define the borders—they tell the story.
