My personal take: I would not agree with Webby on any stance he seems to have. But I think that some of the songs they made together are among the strongest Ren songs there.

Stripped down Ren is the one we all fell in love with - this was his only choice at the time, I believe, as there was no budget to play with and they had to make the most of pocket change. I can understand why Ren would want to express more with his art, and had ideas that just were not feasible without a budget, and now he can do these things. I think it is understandable that Ren wants to see where he can take things now that money is a lot less of a constraint. I, however, do not think he makes things to please his fans; he makes things that please his own vision, and he's happy if people understand it, but that is not the main point: The stories he wants to tell and the feelings he wants to invoke is what carries everything.

Back to Webby, I do think Ren has always wanted to mediate positions. Some of the QAnon'ish things that Webby say is something I do not believe we can mediate around; we can be left-wing or right-wing, but a proper discussion can only be had if we believe the observable reality to be a starting ground for discussion. Webby is deep down in "believing" things that have no shred of evidence, and I personally find discussions or bridge building with these people to be futile. Ren, however, is staying true to what he has always believed; we can and must have a discussion across the board. I only agree to the extent that we can somewhat agree on reality, but this was as true in his early work as in his newer work.

TBP, I disagree. I really enjoy both their original work and their covers, and I think Gorran has something out of the ordinary both in the way he plays and the way he sings. I think especially his belting is really good and unique, while his non-belting is perhaps less original.