From the ashes of the pandemic thus rose a solo studio project led by a persona named wil._.In. And, no, I don’t know how to pronounce that name. But I can easily pronounce the name of the project which is Solid-State Sunlight. Based out of Denver, CO, triple S is a darkwave / industrial project pulling further influences from the likes of synthpop and gothic rock, and list the likes of Prick, VAST, VNV Nation, RATT, Capenter Brut, Bauhaus, and Skinny Puppy amongst their influences.
Earlier in the year SSS showed off their stuff with a couple of feeler singles ‘Hope is a Drug’ and ‘RealFeel’ before releasing their debut EP “ExoAnthro”. While I can tell there was a lot of love put into the EP, unfortunately a good chunk of it sounds more like a demo than a polished release.
The first and leading track ‘Hope is a Drug’ comes off as the most polished track on the album. Electronic percussion slaps over cinematic synths that would not sound out of place in a sci-fi film before ramping up into a track that wouldn’t be out of place in a title crawl for your favorite retro flick. The vocals are pretty bad, which is something that does not surprise me. Sounding autotuned and digitally altered they do not flow well with the beat. There’s a small glimpse as to what SSS’ vocals would have sounded like clean around the three-and-a-half-minute mark, which isn’t all too bad, but it’s a small glimpse and nothing prolonged.
‘GravelDawn’ is where I noticed a dip in quality. It begins with drug out electric guitar notes that are replaced by swift drum pads, all of which sounds stock, unfinished, and underdone. The guitar notes become bit harsher, a tad bit noisier later in the song, but it never sounds finished. ‘I Want’ is the dingy, club song that would play when you first entered an underground venue as a bunch of brutish dudes in leather vests mean mugged you. Crunchy / dirty guitars and a bit of electronics to keep the flow going, but repetitive.
The title track honestly sounds like something that would play at the end of an early 2000s coming-of-age flick during the end when all problems have been resolved and the protagonist gets their dream romance and has the best of friends before heading off into the sunset. But with a bit of an industrial touch. Softer, emotive, playing it safe but showcasing musicianship. Not bad, not bad.
The last song on the album plays out like something an imitation Daft Punk would create but then ruin with unnecessary guitar bits. I really think this electro song would have been a lot better if not for the chugging guitar riffs; I think they are a bit out of place and the song is rough enough on its own with the guitar.
Solid-State Sunlight’s debut isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it very much is of demo quality and I wouldn’t call it a proper release. It’s a start, that’s for sure, and there are plenty of moments that shine bright. But there are also cloudy skies that block that light and don’t allow SSS to rise to prominence. Keep working on it, work with an engineer / producer to make the whole spiel sound better, and I think SSS will do better in the future.
