Manchester’s Moss Side is home to Irish-born artist Solis. It’s here where her latest run of releases have been conceptualized and created, and her latest, “Sunday,” is a real treat. Taking influence from Jeff Buckley and Kate Bush, both of these music icons can be heard in abundance in Solis’s sound as her classical training imbues with pop leaning melodies to rippling effect.
“Sunday is about always focussing on the future in the hopes that tomorrow might be better,” Solis said in a press release. “The lyrics describe suppression in vocalising how you feel, while also feeling overwhelmed by the concept of having a time limit or age expectation for certain life experiences. It explains how sometimes life expectations can actually make you take steps backwards, rather than progressing forward if they’re not true to how you feel.”
Despite being released in rainy, autumnal November, the track’s opening transports you to the cool, summer beach with its vibrato-laden, Mac Demarco-style guitars. This vibrato follows suit in Solis’s vocals, which are the real star of the show. Laura Marling-like in delivery, it’s one of those recordings where you can picture the artist in the booth, laying down their vocal track, knowing that it’d be strong enough purely on its own without any accompaniment.
Likewise, Solis’s poetically melancholic lyrics are a joy to revel in all by themself: “I’m on the way down, because I want more / I’ve been waiting for so long / Am I coming up easy? I don’t know / I can’t wait for Sunday.” The contrast of these lyrics with their breezy surrounding soundscapes mark Solis as a crafty songwriter; one who can set herself apart from the pack with her intuitive, thought-provoking style.
With subtle twinges of psychedelia and folk further complementing the track, “Sunday” is Solis’s strongest release to date. It sets up anticipation nicely for her upcoming Manchester headline show next month, and having already performed alongside big name bands like Blossoms and Inhaler, it won’t be long before the big name venues call Solis to the stage.