Meet Solo Solo, a band of brothers who, having been active in the Austin music scene for more than a decade were caught in a common predicament to many other musicians in 2020, they suddenly had a lot of time on their hands.
Solo Solo, their newest ambient, indie rock project was born under quarantine in a storage unit on the East side of Austin.
While at SXSW this past March, The Mix connected with Solo Solo to collaborate on a live lyric installation at their official showcase. After the show we sat down to chat about music, the music industry, and the importance of their lyrics to the art that they produce. The two, Greg (guitar and vocals) and John (drums) were, much like the music they create, easy going and extremely likable. While their sound can be described as “chill” and approachable, taking a deeper look into the lyrics, we can see some deeper universal themes that affect many musicians today.
“No sleep” for instance, is a song that quite literally documents the conditions of their own recording process: in the early hours of the morning in a poorly soundproofed storage unit - the hour chosen for its low traffic. In the pursuit they started waking up at 4:45 to make it into the studio before work to lay down their drum and vocal tracks without audio bleed. The song demonstrates what kind of great personal sacrifice creating art demands but also with lines like “I never finish anything but I can stop starting”, the impossibility to separate themselves from their creative process. This line, Greg describes as painfully autobiographical.
While it’s not everybody's journey, music, a career that often has long, unattractive hours, with low financial return can be a painful life pursuit. It demands full attention and dedication. On the other side of the coin, Greg and John, understand the unique euphoria of live performance and the ultimate satisfaction of putting your pain and journey into written text. Art like this is transforming their process into something beautiful, something palatable and comforting.
Everything in a song like “No sleep” is intentional, including the chordal arrangement, finishing on a decidedly unresolved sounding minor third, indicating that the feeling of completion is never enduring. “But it is finished,” Greg assures us.
Check out the Lyric Video for “No Sleep” which we projected at Solo Solo’s SXSW Showcase. “No sleep” was one of the very first videos created with the new pro lyric videos feature.
Want to make your own lyric video? Register for a paid Pro subscription today and get access to this cool new feature.
Stay tuned for more content from Solo Solo at SXSW.
Listen here.
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