I've been following Solar Fake from the very beginning and I always enjoyed watching their progress and growth. It's amazing to see how many people know and love them by now and when I think back to my very first Solar Fake gig in 2008, which was in fact one of their very first gigs ever, I remember standing in a crowd of very few people. Nowadays they sell out clubs and the atmosphere at their shows is ecstatic. It makes me proud because it's so well deserved.
Some bands release album after album and they all sound more or less the same. Because they have found their sound and stick with it. This can be fine but it can also get extremely boring after a while. This has never been the case with Solar Fake. They have come such a long way from Broken Grid to Enjoy Dystopia. The sound has become heavier and the lyrics are a lot more aggressive now. Still they have never lost the typical Solar Fake handwriting which is something i appreciate a lot.
The first thing I did this morning was setting aside some time to listen to this album. I always do this when a band I care about releases new music. I plug in my earphones, turn the music to full volume and just listen. The world is completely turned off for me then and it's just about me and the music at least for a while. The album Enjoy Dystopia immediately got me and sucked me in. I absolutely loved the songs that were released in advance and knew what sound to expect. However, I guess this is the first Solar Fake album that I do have some problems with. Tiny ones because it is in fact a very good album. But they are there.
At Least We'll Forget – If I remember correctly all Solar Fakes always had pretty strong openers and this one definitely does not break with the tradition. It's very catchy with a surprisingly raw chorus that still goes incredibly well with the rest of the song. Sven does a great job balancing everything out in this song.
I Despise You – This song didn't do too much to me when I first listened to it but quickly became one of my favorites with the second and third listen. It has a very clear Sven Friedrich handwriting, nice synth lines and brings out his voice very well. I have already put the first two songs in my every day playlist.
This pretty life – Being the first single of the album I have already listened to this song for a few months now. And it's still on high rotation. To me, this is Solar Fake at its best. Calmer verses followed by a catchy bridge and then the kind of heavy refrains that i have always loved about the newer Solar Fake. Plus for me personally this song has quite a few lyrical lines that I can identify with pretty well.
Arrive Somewhere – Another favorite. Period. Sven is very capable of making dreamy songs (We all love and remember Here I stand right?). This one is a bit more upbeat but it gives you this feeling of things that could have been. Transporting a feeling in a way that it gets to you when first listening to a song isn't easy and it's rare. But for me it worked with this one.
Es geht dich nichts an – Here we go. This, in my opinion, is a problem. To say i was surprised to see a German track on the album is an understatement. I was intrigued but also in doubt if it could work. Sven has done a lot of german songs with Zeraphine and they were really good after all. But does this work for Solar Fake? And in my opinion it does not. I am really sorry to say that but this is the very first Solar Fake song ever that I personally cannot listen to. I've tried a few times but i end up skipping every single time. I feel like the German lyrics worked with the tone of the Zeraphine songs but don't go nearly so well with the aggressive electronic sound of Solar Fake. Please keep in mind that this is my personal opinion and that I usually love everything this band does to pieces. So I was very surprised to find a song that I dislike so much on here. Please stick to english.
This Is Who You Are – This song was released a few weeks in advance and it's probably the most cheerful tune on the album. At least when it comes to the synth lines. To me the previous song stood out so much from the others that the transformation to This is who you are was a bit odd to me. The song tends to stick with you after listening to it and always gives me positive vibes. Which is never a bad thing right?
Trying Too Hard – We're now back to more serious and darker tunes. I've grown to really enjoy this kind of music very much lately so this one is right up my alley. The lyrics are very straight forward and in your face. I especially enjoy the climax from verse to refrain. It does remind me a bit of Just like This from You Win Who Cares.
Implode – This album has SO many catchy songs my brain doesn't even know which one to stick with after listening. Implode is one of them. I very much enjoyed the song from the very first listen on. The lyrics just hit something for me. Sometimes it's so tough dealing with everything that's happening around us, trying to avoid the bad things that at some point we just implode. It's also very well done lyrically.
Just Leave It – Most albums have good songs, bad songs and some songs that are in between. The ones that don't particularly impress you but are still decent. This is that kind of song for me. I absolutely don't mind it but it just flows by a bit.
Wish Myself Away – Of course the album ends with a ballad. Because every Solar Fake album does. And of course it's good. Because Sven is good at ballads. When you listen to this song please just lie down somewhere quiet, put in earphones and tune out the world. Listen to the lyrics and let it touch you. It's heartbreakingly beautiful. I don't listen to their ballads too often but when I do I make sure I really listen and let them get to me. This song is a beautiful work of art.
No Solar Fake album comes without Cover versions. This time it's Join Me In Death (HIM) and Where Is My Mind (The Pixies) and it's the other thing I have problems with. It's not even how the covers turned out because Solar Fake know how to do covers. It's on a much more personal level. I think everyone has those songs where you immediately think "Please don't cover them" and sadly those two songs are like that for me. Join Me In Death made 10 year old me fall in love with HIM two decades ago and for that the song still holds a very special place in my heart. Because it paved the way for me to become the person I am today. So i have troubles accepting different versions of that song. It is a decent cover though. Don't get me wrong. And Where Is My Mind by the Pixies is, in my opinion, one of the most perfect songs ever made. It is perfect the way it is so a cover version can't do much good there. I love everything about that song and I will always love how it was used in the most perfect way for the ending of my favorite movie. I hope you all remember the iconic "you met me at a very strange time in my life" - scene in Fight Club. Also, a good cover. Just not for me personally. Music-wise I prefer it over the Join Me cover though. It's more wholesome.
What do you think of the new Solar Fake album? Do you already have a favorite song maybe?
You can buy the album in a beautiful limited edition box set here:
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