‘With a constant infusion of ethereal tendencies, it’s a soft, yet powerful entrance into the music world.’
Intro to Solis
Having previously taught as a singing teacher, Manchester based singer-songwriter Solis is no stranger to music making. Equally, in having turned her hand to both guitar and piano as well as voice, it’s clear she is a talented musician. Now though we get to experience how all these musical puzzle pieces fit together for the first time. Harnessing those aforementioned attributes, debut single ‘Jigsaw’, which was written at university, ensures Solis makes a soft, yet powerful entrance into the music world and leaves us with much to wonder about her as an artist.
Track Review
Carrying more than a few hints of reflection, ‘Jigsaw’ explores ‘the nature of the different relationships that you experience when you’re younger’, and how we make excuses for the actions of the other party in a vain attempt ‘to try and make it work’. It’s a narrative that I’m sure many of you can relate to. And one that may make you ponder past decisions. But in this narrative being so beautifully conveyed by Solis’ lyrical voice, it feels even more connective.
Apparent throughout, but particularly as she sings “perpetual feelings that glisten and then seem to hide, I move with the flow and then simmer back down by your side” the gorgeously set storytelling truly shines. Here, with the song building towards the chorus in such a masterfully beautiful manner, the atmosphere we are to experience in the following moments is wonderfully foreshadowed.
Moving through, Solis’s voice though gentle, skilfully tackles melismatic passages with delicately added vibrato that ultimately draws you into the piece. Underneath and surrounding the vocal though, there is an effortlessly formed musical frame of delicate bass lines, dreamy guitars and palpable synth sounds. These, much like those vocals, pull both the entire single and its obvious folk influences into the modern day, while the constant infusion of ethereal tendencies gives it a truly timeless feel.
Having presented such a mature piece for her debut release, Solis has the potential to be a real force in the music industry. Equally, with the promise of ‘another single around Christmas’ and whispers of an EP on the horizon, Solis’s ‘Jigsaw’ is a track to play on repeat whilst you wait in anticipation for those tantalising prospects to be realised.
Guest Writer Feature by Tiegan Wright
Featured image credit: Hayley Rawlings
