A.A. Williams returns with her fourth album.
Titled Solstice, it was created by the singer-songwriter who plays piano, guitar, and cello with the help of Matt de Burgh Daly (guitar, bass, drums) and Wayne Proctor (drums), in collaboration with Reigning Phoenix Music.
The album opens with Poison, a first track that starts off fairly calm but is adorned with a rougher-sounding guitar, at times weighing down the rhythm while allowing it to slow down, thereby amplifying the singer’s voice. There is a fairly sharp break that returns to minimalist sounds, but the sound explodes again to develop a haunting tone before leading into Wolves” which also offers waves of softness interspersed with thicker, yet still hypnotic, sections. The atmosphere shifts with Little By Little, which begins gently but intensifies, adorned with a heavy distortion that captivates us from time to time, before settling down on Hold It Together, where the musicians stick to this reassuring minimalism where piano and vocals dance together, yet still make room for heaviness while remaining gentle. The band continues with Outlines, which unfolds quite naturally but waits until halfway through the track to unleash its harmonics, setting things ablaze for a brief moment before returning to melancholy. Another moment of contemplation with I’ve Seen Enough, which captivates us for a moment before building to a first climax, only to subside just as quickly and lead us into the short track The Veil, where the sound is even more stripped-down than usual. Darkness returns on Just A Shadow with its immediately catchy, at times almost hypnotic tones that ignite at the right moment, eventually adopting intoxicating Post-Rock touches to lead into It Won’t Rain Forever, a more rhythmic track where waves of distortion toss us about at will. Silence gradually settles in, then Breathe takes over to lull us, allowing itself to grow more intense past a certain point, before we finally encounter The Gentle Harm, the final composition that lets the piano take the reins before ultimately revealing itself as imposing and icy, then vanishing into nothingness.
The world of A.A. Williams comes to life before us once more, returning to its ethereal yet intense sounds on Solstice, an album that remains melancholic and haunting, offering a blend of gentleness, tranquility, and intoxicating tones. Her fans already love it.
75/100