Solars
A Fading Future

I'm back...at least I'm trying to write a review.

Dark times, very dark; worrying signs, anxiety and everything that revolves around it once again knocks on the doors of my unstable spirit.

Luckily there are the mountains... and also Music...

A few years ago, I discovered a very good YouTube channel that almost daily presents new works by PostRock bands, mostly instrumental; one of the few genres, if not the only one in these so "anxiolytic" moments, to capture my rarefied attention.

As I scroll through the latest weeks' record news, I'm literally captured by the cover image of the British band Solars, grappling with their actual long-distance debut after countless singles and EPs released over the last few years.

...An empty chair placed in a dirty, decaying environment...

A revelation; two other similar cover images come to mind: a tribute to Steve Wynn, leader of the Dream Syndicate, and especially the back cover of Bob Mould's painful solo debut after the dreadful end of his immense Husker Du (and here I gather in silence for a good minute... do it with me too...).

No doubt, here's an unknown band that's right for me.

And I have to say that for the umpteenth time, my musical instinct hit the mark perfectly.

A Fading Future is an immediately engaging work as far as I'm concerned; just under 40 minutes divided into 6 aggressive songs, with an additional mini track opening that introduces the massive and direct sound of the Birmingham quartet for long stretches.

PostRock, PostHardcore, PostMetal, deep-rooted Prog legacies: these young English musicians really have a handle on it.

An upfront, vibrant impact, constantly growing as the various pieces progress in minutes.

As usual, due to my specific characteristic, I must rely on sounds of known bands to provide precise references. And so here appears on the horizon the visceral Prog of the early Porcupine Tree, the explosiveness of the two ultra-metallic guitars bringing Solars closer to Explosions in the Sky. In some guitar solos, I even hear the genius of Tool, in other stopped breaks, Helmet; and I could go on with the similarities.

I didn't find a single wrong note in a lively, sparkling, compelling, imposing album.

Among my records of 2024, no doubt about writing that!

Ad Maiora.