Album Review: SoftSun, Daylight in the Dark

Posted in Reviews on November 19th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

softsun daylight in the dark

SoftSun is the three-piece of bassist/vocalist Pia Isaksen, guitarist Gary Arce and drummer Dan Joeright, all of whom come to the new project with pedigree. Joeright was in Aboleth and Earth Moon Earth, and has recorded some of Arce‘s other projects in recent years, whether it’s desert rock progenitors Yawning Man, which Arce co-founded in the 1980s or Big Scenic Nowhere, and Arce played guitar on three of the songs on the 2022 solo debut from Isaksen (who also fronts Oslo’s Superlynx), Distorted Chants (review here), and six of the eight total on this year’s follow-up, Dissolve (review here), so nobody is a stranger to each other here. If one were to view Daylight in the Dark, the first SoftSun full-length, as following the thread of the two Isaksen solo records in tightening the collaboration with Arce with Joeright producing (Aaron Farinelli co-engineered) and drumming, that’s a fair enough contextual read on how the band might’ve happened, if not necessarily the actual story of the six-song/41-minute record, which lives up to the adage of being broader than the sum of its parts.

For those who know Arce‘s oeuvre in Yawning Man, Yawning SonsYawning BalchTen East, Dark Tooth Encounter, and so on, he’s on form throughout Daylight in the Dark, harnessing tonal expanse and a sense of improvised instrumental exploration set to the steady grooves of Joeright; very much the daylight to the encompassing low end wrought in Isaksen‘s basslines, which in turn become the ‘dark’ being referenced in the title. What’s not accounted for in that admittedly simple math are Isaksen‘s vocals, which through Superlynx and into her solo work carry an ethereal reverb like a resonant calling card. Her performance on vocals here is emotive and fragile — on “Continents” she asks for a shifting of tectonic plates with particular longing, and the bleaker “Exit Wounds” is greeted with due brooding — and balanced dynamically in the mix to be more forward at times while buried elsewhere within the morass of effects and psychedelic-leaning fluidity.

This is all well and good, but what’s most surprising about Daylight in the Dark ends up being how heavy it is. Opener “Unholy Waters,” “Daylight in the Dark” and “Exit Wounds” appear in succession before side A closes with “Continents,” and through all of them, the upward float of Arce‘s guitar — which is as staple an element as you get; it’s what he does, and oftentimes even his repeated riffs are structured airy leads — is answered decisively with the low breadth of Isaksen‘s tone. On “Exit Wounds,” the bass is outright doomed, and even “Continents,” which is a bit more gentle in pushing the vocals forward and gives a little more of a verse/chorus feel than, say, the title-track, which also has a structure but feels as much about ambience as it reaches simultaneously upward and down tonally in exactly this fashion. That dynamic would seem to put Joeright in the middle of the proceedings in the holding-it-all-together role, but that’s not really the case. It’s not like Daylight in the Dark is a collection of disparate jams. These are composed songs — when the title-track seems to take off right as it hits the midpoint, it’s not an accident — and however nebulous their outward face might be, the chemistry and persona behind them is purposeful and something that has developed over several years.

softsun (Photo by Aaron Farinelli)

That gives SoftSun something of an advantage going into a first record, but hearing Daylight in the Dark in comparison to Isaksen‘s Dissolve — which is probably the closest analogue; released the same year with at least two-thirds the same personnel working from a similar foundation of influence — it feels like Isaksen and Arce, in company with Joeright, have organically arrived at a next stage of working together, and that’s the band itself. What might be most encouraging about that is the sense of refresh they give to each other’s sounds. From Mario Lalli to Billy Cordell and plenty of others besides, Arce has played with more than a handful of bassists over the last 30-plus years. Isaksen‘s low end complements his guitar like none of them. It comes from a different place — yes, literally, from Norway, but I’m talking stylistically — and feels more rooted in metal and, as noted, doom, while both instrument and vocals are treated with echo and whatever else such that even the violent implications of a song like the penultimate “Dragged Across the Desert Floor” becomes a gorgeously languid roll with the blend of daylight, dark, and groove that comprises it.

Not only that, but the bass seems to be a feature in Joeright‘s mix for these songs more than it often is in Arce‘s work. One might be tempted to compare SoftSun and the Arce-inclusive one-off Zun album from 2016, Burial Sunrise (review here) — or at least the half of it that Sera Timms (Black Math Horseman) sang on —  but in that too, the bass shines in righteous differentiation. Daylight in the Dark is richer for the depth, and even as the eponymous “Soft Sun” closes as the longest inclusion at over 11 minutes long, what’s being reinforced — expanded on, even, with keyboard-esque sounds that emerge in the early going and meld with the guitar if they were ever there in the first place — is the distinct impression that the album makes separate either from any of these three artists’ previous work.

Sound like hyperbole, I know. I’m not saying that Isaksen‘s voice and bass or Arce‘s guitar aren’t recognizable in the slow immersion of “Soft Sun,” but that like the album that precedes it, the finale emphasizes how much the two bring to the band’s sound and how well their styles play off of each other. The result — and I’m not trying to downplay Joeright‘s contributions, either on drums or in the recording process; clearly he’s essential personnel — is that SoftSun occupies a new niche branched off from all three respective discographies, and the only remaining question I’m left with is what the future will bring. Could be SoftSun is a one-shot deal and IsaksenArce and Joeright will go their separate ways, or Daulight in the Dark could very easily be the beginning of a longer-term aural progression, putting a different spin on heavy post-rock and desert-hued psych and growing as the band — live shows? — moves forward. This debut, a first showing of who SoftSun are and what they might become over time, leaves one hopeful.

SoftSun, Daylight in the Dark (2024)

SoftSun, “Unholy Waters” official video

SoftSun on Facebook

SoftSun on Instagram

SoftSun on Bandcamp

SoftSun on Spotify

Ripple Music on Facebook

Ripple Music on Instagram

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

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SoftSun: Debut LP Daylight in the Dark Out Nov. 8

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 10th, 2024 by JJ Koczan

softsun (Photo by Aaron Farinelli)

There’s a chant-like quality to Gary Arce‘s guitar on the first SoftSun single from their upcoming debut album, Daylight in the Dark, and if “Unholy Water” is representative in any way of the scope of the rest of the LP — as one would hope, considering it’s also the first song the project has ever released — that will be just fine for how fluidly Pia Isaksen‘s vocals rest alongside.

Isaksen, also of Superlynx and adjacent solo work, and Arce, also of Yawning Man and numerous orbital projects, are joined in SoftSun by drummer/engineer Dan Joeright, also of Earth Moon Earth, who gives shape to the flow on “Unholy Water,” and while it should come as no surprise to anybody familiar with any of the trio’s work elsewhere that atmosphere is a central focus, it is, and it works. You know who they are. They know who they are. Everybody vibes accordingly.

As previously announced, it’s Ripple Music handling the release, and I look forward to exhausting my metaphors for languid, liquefied groove sometime between now and Nov. 8 when Daylight in the Dark comes out. Until that happens, here’s this from the PR wire:

softsun daylight in the dark

SOFTSUN (with Yawning Man, Pia Isa members) to release debut album “Daylight in the Dark” on Ripple Music; first track streaming!

SoftSun, the new dronegaze and post-rock trio formed by Gary Arce (Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson) on guitar, Pia Isaksen (Pia Isa) on bass and vocals and Dan Joeright (Earth Moon Earth) on drums, announce the release of their debut album “Daylight in the Dark” this November 8th through Ripple Music.

SoftSun is the result of a divine collaboration between very unique and visionary musicians. Pia Isaksen and Gary Arce along with Dan Joeright come from opposite sides of the world. Vocalist and bass player Pia Isaksen grew up in Norway, while Gary Arce and drummer Dan Joeright are based in the Southern California Mojave desert.

The environments they occupy are evident in the beautifully heavy yet ethereal sound of this band. Arce’s dreamscaping cinematic guitar work gives a stark contrast of balance to the heavy melodic bass driven compositions. Pia’s voice, ethereal in nature, levitates the sound and brings a dreamlike shoegaze quality to the songs. Cocteau Twins, True Widow, Yawning Man, Diiv would be appropriate reference points for this unique approach to songwriting.

Debut album “Daylight in the Dark”
Out November 8th on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)

TRACKLIST:
1. Unholy Waters
2. Daylight in the Dark
3. Exit Wounds
4. Continents
5. Dragged Across the Desert Floor
6. Soft Sun

SoftSun was formed in 2023 by Gary Arce, Pia Isaksen and Dan Joeright after Arce and Isaksen had been wanting to make music together for several years. It all started in 2020 when Arce played guitar on the first album by Isaksen’s solo project Pia Isa. Discovering how perfect their musical expressions fit together they knew they really wanted to create more music together. With Arce’s unique and beautiful guitar melodies and sounds, Isaksen’s heavy bass and haunting vocals combined with Joeright’s perfectly patient drumming, SoftSun delivers heavy mellow and dreamy music with its own sound.

After a few years of collaborating on two of Pia’s albums from opposite sides of the planet (Moss in Norway and Yucca Valley in California) and becoming good friends, Gary and Pia finally met in person in late 2023. They instantly became inseparable and started planning their musical project.

The first SoftSun songs were written by Pia in Moss and sent to with Gary who wrote guitar melodies for them in Yucca Valley before Pia then got on the plane to California in January 2024. During three weeks they wrote more songs and got together with drummer and studio owner Dan Joeright who turned out to be a perfect fit for the band. After only three practices and two and a half days in Gatos Trail Recording Studio, the trio recorded their first album live. The vocals were done by Pia back in Norway before. Dan then mixed the album. On Pia’s next trip to California six weeks later, the trio booked another studio session and recorded a few more songs. The result is their debut album “Daylight in the Dark”, to be released in November 2024 through Californian independent label Ripple Music.

The album was engineered by Dan Joeright and Aaron Farinelli at Gatos Trail Recording Studio, mixed by Dan Joeright and mastered by Kent Stump. Artwork and layout by Pia Isaksen.

SOFTSUN line-up
Gary Arce – Guitars
Pia Isaksen – Bass and vocals
Dan Joeright – Drums

Photo by @aaronfarinelli

https://www.facebook.com/people/SoftSun/61557870166741/
https://www.instagram.com/softsunofficial/
https://softsunband.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0koex03KctujRuxwz8bNhu

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

SoftSun, Daylight in the Dark (2024)

SoftSun, “Unholy Waters” official video

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SoftSun to Release Debut LP on Ripple Music

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 2nd, 2024 by JJ Koczan

There’s only one snippet posted on Instagram, and I couldn’t even manage to embed that properly — for what it’s worth, the track is called “Daylight in the Dark” — but SoftSun is a new trio featuring guitarist Gary Arce of Yawning Man, Big Scenic Nowhere, Zun, Ten East and copious others on the branches of one of desert rock’s broadest-reaching family trees, bassist/vocalist Pia Isaksen, aka Pia Isa for her solo work, of Norwegian atmospheric heavy nodders Superlynx, and drummer/recording engineer Dan Joeright, who in addition to playing in Earth Moon Earth runs the helm at Gatos Trail Recording Studio, where Yawning Man, Blasting Rod, The Freeks, Behold the Monolith and many more have recorded.

The roots of the collab would seem to be Arce‘s appearance on Pia Isa‘s 2022 album, Distorted Chants (review here), but either way, SoftSun have already been picked up to release their yet-untitled debut LP through Ripple Music sometime in the next however long, and if you do chase down that brief glimpse of “Daylight in the Dark” (which I’d suggest as your next stop), you’ll likely understand quickly why that’s something to look forward to.

Some background and label comment, from socials:

softsun (Photo by Aaron Farinelli)

Says Ripple Music: Stoked to be bringing you this amazingly cool project! Please welcome SoftSun to the Ripple family!!

SoftSun is, left to right:

Dan Joeright (drums) who also plays in cosmic rock collective Earth Moon Earth, is a former member of The Rentals and has toured with many bands including Sasquatch and Ed Mundell. He is also the owner of the amazing Gatos Trail – Recording Studio in Yucca Valley where SoftSun record their music, and does the recording and mixing.

Pia Isaksen (bass/vocals) from Moss, Norway has played and written music most of her life and has spent a decade in heavy psych band Superlynx. She also has a dronegazey solo project called PIA ISA, and will release her second solo album this year.

Gary Arce (guitar) from La Quinta, California, known from Yawning Man, FATSO JETSON, Ten East, Dark Tooth Encounter, Big Scenic Nowhere, Yawning Balch etc. Since playing in the desert as young punk kid he has developed a unique style of playing and is known to create the most beautiful and dreamy sounds and melodies that sound like no one else. And he can never get enough foot pedals.

Photo by @aaronfarinelli

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557870166741
https://www.instagram.com/softsunofficial/

https://www.facebook.com/theripplemusic/
https://www.instagram.com/ripplemusic/
https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ripple-music.com/

SoftSun, “Daylight in the Dark” snippet

 

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A post shared by SOFTSUN (@softsunofficial)

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Desertfest Oslo 2024 Makes Second Lineup Announcement

Posted in Whathaveyou on December 4th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

You knew there were going to be a ton of Norwegian bands. Honestly, why have a Desertfest Oslo if you’re not going to celebrate the host country’s generational boom of native acts? The Devil and the Almighty Blues — who just rule live; they’re so good — lead the Norse charge here, but Saint Karloff, Superlynx, Suncraft, Karavan and Håndgemeng have been brought on as well. These join the previously-announced ranks of Kadavar and Monolord, the Brant Bjork Trio and Acid KingBismarck and Full Earth and so on as the lineup begins to take shape for the inaugural Scandinavian edition of Desertfest.

They say there’s more to come, and I believe it. Desertfest Oslo 2024 is May 10 and 11. If you can get there, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t. I’ve been keeping up both with the Desertfest Oslo socials as much as possible as well as those of the Oslo fall fest Høstsabbat, whose behind-the-scenes team are at least in-part involved here.

Oh yeah and Eyehategod are playing. There is that little detail. Ha.

To wit:

Desertfest Oslo 2024 second poster

DESERTFEST OSLO- New band announcement!

Norway has so much talent on offer these days, it would be anything but fair to exclude our own horde of bands on the first Desertfest Oslo.

We are super proud to announce the return of the Tired Old Dogs in The Devil And The Almighty Blues to our domestic live scene. This bunch of legends haven’t played Oslo since 2019, and we simply can’t wait to see their blues-laden excellence on stage again.

The other Norwegian acts following this announcement are all extraordinary examples of the diversity found in our bursting scene:

Karavan bring the filth, Håndgemeng bring the party, Saint Karloff bring the groove and Superlynx bring the laidback jams while Suncraft bring the energy.

Highly recommended every single one of them.

BUT – let’s not forget!

EYEHATEGOD is coming

This true force of nature is bringing their NOLA sludge overseas, and all the way to Oslo next spring.

EHG will leave no mind untouched, or unblown for that matter.

RIFFS!🔥

More announcements to follow shortly!

https://www.facebook.com/desertfestoslo
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_oslo
https://www.desertfest.no/

Saint Karloff, “Psychedelic Man” official video

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Review & Full Album Premiere: Superlynx, 4 10

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on September 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Superlynx 4 10

[Click play above to stream Superlynx’s 4 10 in its entirety. Album is out tomorrow on Argonauta Records.]

It’s been a productive few years from Oslo’s Superlynx. Their third album, 2021’s Electric Temple (review here), was followed-up by that December’s Solstice EP (review here), and last year, vocalist Pia Isaksen released the first full-length from her solo-project Pia Isa. It was announced this Spring they’d signed to Argonauta Records for their fourth album, the numerically-titled 4 10 and the eight-song/45-minute collection also features the first appearance of guitarist Espen Krøll alongside Isaksen, guitarist Daniel Bakken and drummer Ole Teigen, and it is marked by a languid overarching flow between the tracks, songs like “Sphinx” and “Heavier Than Me” on side A spacious in their presentation with atmosphere high on a list of priorities with sonic heft and melody. There are deeper aspects of grunge underlying some of the riffs, doom to be had throughout, but the real tell of 4 10 is in opener “Cycle.”

It is among the shorter cuts at 4:27 — the longest is presumed side B opener “Nothing to Everything” at 7:42; anagram numbers are fun — and has a mellow heavy crux with a slow, steady roll for which “Heavier Than Me” offers structural reinforcement, fleshing out the sense of mood that begins in “Cycle” and spans the record’s entirety, and is no less encompassing in this than the breadth of echoing reaches of “Into the Sun” in the final moments. Superlynx have always touched on psychedelia, and the additional guitar lets them do so on 4 10 with according flexibility as they reportedly shifted their process toward emphasizing the jams at root in their songwriting.

Indeed, it’s relatively easy to imagine the now-four-piece Superlynx in a rehearsal space, happening on the fluidity of riff that would soon enough become “The Unknown” at the finish of side A or the swaying semi-twang of the penultimate “Under its Spell,” which with a few pulls notes here and there evokes heavy Westernism as well as the garage doom of Uncle Acid and maybe even a bit of Graveyard‘s drawn blues as a near-drone backdrop for Isaksen‘s vocals. It doesn’t sound like an planned progression, something brought in by one of the members for the others to add their parts; it sounds like it came together, together, with all of them in the room. Organic is the word, and “Under its Spell” moves in much the same way, oozing naturally forward as the guitar becomes more prominent, grabs the front portion of the mix for a soulful lead after five minutes in, begins to draw it down from there.

They don’t mirror each other exactly — if I’ve got the vinyl structure right at all, that is — but “The Unknown” capping side A and “Under its Spell” would seem to have more in common than a titular prefix. Each later on its respective side, with “Into the Sun” backing the latter as the closer, and each offers some relative uptick in its delivery, whether it’s the vocals assuming a more intense cadence around three minutes into “The Unknown” or that howling guitar in “Under its Spell.” These little flourishes aren’t a ton on their own, but with the intricacy of melody in “Cycle,” the dual-vocals and sweep in the second half of “Nothing to Everything,” the still-somehow-morose shimmer of “Into the Sun” as it plays out its six and a half minutes, they and others like them add up, and 4 10 derives a facet of its persona as a record from them. Even with their songs rooted in jams, it seems Superlynx are prone to build something from out of them rather than directly port their improv sessions onto a platter — not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Superlynx

“Away,” which is the actual shortest cut at 3:28, precedes the closing duo and has a sudden stop before its held-chug verse begins, and is molten in its flow in kind with much of what surrounds, but arriving between “Nothing to Everything” and “Under its Spell” as it does, it has a secondary function of keeping momentum rolling from one extended piece to the next, and its hairy jangle of guitar is the foundation on which it rests to do so. Lyrics are semi-spoken at first, but “Away” is more than an interlude, and demonstrates how Superlynx are able to tie distinct pieces together in tone and style such that the continuity of 4 10, once laid out, holds through the finish.

In this way, the album is best experienced as a front to back listen, but individual tracks like “Cycle,” “The Unknown” and “Under its Spell” represent well the scope of floating vocals and outstretched guitar, nuanced composition interpreted through brooding psychedelia, weighted tonally in the guitars — remember there are two now! — and emotionally through Isaksen‘s voice, which rests easily in the verses and choruses as the organic approach of the band seems to extend to leaving space for vocals by rote rather than trying to adjust riffs around lyrics later.

That may or may not be how Superlynx actually function, but the complete statement of 4 10 is about who they are as a band, and they portray themselves with a rampant maturity. That’s not a dogwhistle for that they’re somehow staid creatively or they’ve stopped growing — they aren’t and haven’t — but it does mean they know what they’re doing in a way that, when their debut LVX came out in 2016 just three years after they’d formed, wouldn’t have been possible. The growth facilitated in their live work and their experience in the studio and as songwriters, it’s all right in these songs, right unto a little bit of hope in the early going of “Into the Sun” amid the pervasive melancholia, including that process of building upward — from “Nothing to Everything,” as the song puts it — in embracing the open feel of the jam without giving up the core of craft around it.

Whatever else they are, the tracks on 4 10 — there are four in the band now; they’ve been around for 10 years — are, they are the most realized representation to-date of Superlynx‘s methods, and the balance in them of meter and melody, ambience and impact, aren’t to be understated. They have carved out a place for themselves, stylistically, and now set about refining it as their own.

Superlynx on Facebook

Superlynx on Instagram

Superlynx on Bandcamp

Argonauta Records website

Argonauta Records on Facebook

Argonauta Records on Instagram

Argonauta Records on Bandcamp

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Superlynx to Release 4 10 Sept. 29

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 7th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Superlynx

Why 4 10? Am I crazy to think of number-title albums as somewhat aberrant? Is it crazier to think that’s what Oslo’s Superlynx might’ve been going for in naming their upcoming album as they did? Well, there’s four of them now and it’s the 10th anniversary of the band, so it’s not at all without reasoning behind it — even though the record itself was made as a trio — and if you want an efficient capsule of what’s up with Superlynx lately, you’re probably not going to find one using fewer characters. I don’t have much experience to speak from, but I hear good things about brevity.

The first single from 4 10 is the opener “Into the Sun,” and you can see the video for it at the bottom of this post, suitably atmospheric with undulating waves and such. I haven’t heard the full record yet — they’ll release it Sept. 9, which is before Oct. 4, or 04/10 if you write it Euro-style — but there’s about two months to go before it’s out, so I’m not complaining. But from what I’m hearing in the new song, it sounds like an expansion on 2021’s Electric Temple (review here), which is about what I’d hope for. Not like they’re coming into the record not knowing who they are.

Argonauta sent the following down the PR wire:

Superlynx 4 10

Norwegian Psychedelic Doomsters SUPERLYNX Reveal Full Album Details; “4 10” Out In September

Norway-based Psychedelic Doomsters SUPERLYNX celebrate their 10th anniversary by releasing new music, a new additional member and the return to stage. The band recently teased their new journey with the single “Into the Sun”, which is “a song suited for closing your eyes and drifting away” says the band.

The new album is entitled “4 10” and it is written and played by the original trio Pia, Ole and Daniel as usual, but since the recording the band has expanded by including additional guitarist Espen Krøll. He will join the band on stage from now on for an even fuller live sound.

“Jamming has always been important to us in addition to songwriting”. Superlynx says “This time all the music on the album was created through jamming sessions where the music that came out lead the way and turned into these songs. The entire album was recorded in the rehearsal space where we started out a decade ago, by our drummer Ole Teigen / Crowtown Recordings. The focus on 4 10 is imagination, dreams, connection and an open view. Today we further explore fuzzed out heavy psych, improvisation and the depths of dreams and surrealism”.

When Superlynx is asked about musical influences the answer is something like “the sum of all the different music we all listen to and are inspired by, be it doom, drone, psych, shoegaze, desert rock, grunge, metal, old blues, jazz, 60/70s rock”.

The members have a lot of music in common but also different influences. It is all a part of them, and something that naturally affects their own style of playing. Superlynx follows no rules except what sounds and feels right, and lets the music lead their way.

“4 10” will be released on CD, VINYL and DIGITAL formats by September 29th, 2023. Preorders are up: https://www.argonautarecords.com/shop/

Band photo by Kai Simon Fredriksen and cover art by Pia Isaksen.

TRACKLISTING:
Into the Sun
Cycle
Havier than Me
Sphinx
The Unknown
Nothing to Everything
Away
Under Its Spell

https://www.facebook.com/superlynxovdoom
https://www.instagram.com/superlynxdoom/
https://superlynx.bandcamp.com/

www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/
https://argonautarecords.bandcamp.com/

Superlynx, “Into the Sun” official video

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Superlynx Post “Into the Sun” Video; New Album Due This Fall

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 16th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

We don’t even get the title of the new Superlynx album yet, let alone the release date — guessing September based on ‘early Autumn’ below — but we do find out that the Norwegian former-trio are now a four-piece with the addition of second guitarist Espen Krøll alongside vocalist/bassist Pia Isaksen, guitarist Daniel Bakken, and drummer Ole Teigen and there’s the reveal of the first single from the impending long-player called “Into the Sun,” which is delightfully headfirst-dive-in immersive in its post-doom wash and hypnotic melody. There’s a video for the song at the bottom of the post. If you skip from here, I won’t argue.

If you’re still here, thanks. Superlynx were announced last month as signing to Argonauta for their next full-length, so this news is part of a campaign already in progress, but that’s just fine. The band’s next album will follow behind 2021’s Solstice EP (review here) and be their fourth overall and first for Argonauta, though the Italian label also issued Isaksen‘s solo album under the Pia Isa moniker, 2022’s Distorted Chants (review here). Their last record was 2021’s Electric Temple (review here), which pushed deeper into the kinds of atmospherics that “Into the Sun” seems to present with stately patience. I’m looking forward to this album, if you couldn’t tell. I dig the band. You might also if you get the chance to check them out.

And with that, we turn it over to the PR wire and its magically blue text:

Superlynx (Photo by Kai Simon Fredriksen)

Norwegian Psych Heavy Rockers SUPERLYNX Release Single and Video of the New Song “Into the Sun”

After their recent signing with Italian label ARGONAUTA Records, Norway-based Psychedelic Doomsters SUPERLYNX release the first song from their forthcoming album, expected by early Autumn and whose details will follow in the next weeks.

The new song “Into the Sun” sees the band digging into their most introspective and ethereal twist.

“Into the Sun is one of the first songs that came out of our first jams for the new album, and it actually turned out very close to the initial jam. We feel it is a mellow and quite uplifting song, just diving into a feelgood vibe. It is about letting go and enjoying the moment, through an escape from your troubles and to your favourite space whatever that is, and allowing yourself to just be here and now.” Superlynx say.

“Pia who wrote the words comes from an island and has a deep connection to the sea, to beaches and the sun and the words are written from that perspective. But whatever is one´s favorite place or escape – sometimes you just have to let things be, zone out and have a good time. To us this is definitely a song suited for closing your eyes and drifting away.”

SUPERLYNX exceeds genres with their distinct sound and melts heavy psychedelic rock, doom, meditative atmospheres and droning riffs together. In 2023 Superlynx will celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band with releasing new music, a new additional live member and returning to the stage.

Indeed, the new album is written and played by the original trio Pia, Ole and Daniel as usual, but since the recording the band has expanded by including additional guitarist Espen Krøll. He will join the band on stage from now on for an even fuller live sound.

«We are super happy to have Espen in the band. He is a lovely person and guitarist and fits right in. We really look forward to hitting the stage with him» the band says.

Did you know? The name Superlynx is inspired by the big, beautiful, shy and rare, yet hunted cat living in northern areas – the Lynx. The band wanted to have a link to nature and the animal realm in their name, and it represents both a natural force, and the massive, heavy and rough but also fragile in their music. The Lynx also has its name from lux – meaning light – because of its super luminous eyes, and light is a constant focus for Superlynx even in their darker music.

https://www.facebook.com/superlynxovdoom
https://www.instagram.com/superlynxdoom/
https://superlynx.bandcamp.com/

www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/
https://argonautarecords.bandcamp.com/

Superlynx, “Into the Sun” official video

Superlynx, Solstice EP (2021)

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Superlynx Sign to Argonauta Records; New Album Due This Fall

Posted in Whathaveyou on May 3rd, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Last heard from with late-2021’s Solstice EP (review here), Oslo-based heavy melodic downer rockers Superlynx have signed on to release their next — also their fourth, somehow; where does the time go? — full-length through Italian imprint Argonauta Records as part of that label’s ever-expanding lineup. Solstice, 2021’s Electric Temple (review here) and 2019’s New Moon (review here) came out via Dark Essence Records (their 2016 debut LP, LVX, was self-released), so this marks the beginning of a new era for the three-piece, whose vocalist Pia Isaksen preceded the band in working with Argonauta for her 2022 solo album under the moniker Pia IsaDistorted Chants (review here).

I guess that went well enough, or Superlynx probably wouldn’t be making the announcement below, which the algorithm — no blessings and peace upon it; tear down the algorithm — happened to put before me on social media amid the generally much less useful social slop of people’s pets dying, random cleavage and tour dates I’ve already posted. Think of it as a modern equivalent to being in the right place at the right time without actually going anywhere or doing anything. In fact, let’s not talk about social media consumption. This is a happy post.

Instead, let’s talk about Superlynx, whose new record will probably also be depressing. Isaksen brought that overarching melancholy to Distorted Chants as well, and I’ll be interested to hear on the new Superlynx if and how doing that album plays into either the vocals or songwriting here. Plus they’re just a cool, immersive listen anyway, and that’s definitely going to be welcome as Fall comes around with its shorter days and the looming winter ahead. September? November? I don’t know the status of the album — the photo of them with the contract below looks like it was taken in the studio — but I’ll be glad to hear it whenever it surfaces.

They posted about it on socials yesterday and I had a post with that all set to go up, but then the PR wire lit up with the below press release this morning, so here goes:

Superlynx Argonauta Records 1

Norway-based Psychedelic Doom Specialists SUPERLYNX Sign To ARGONAUTA Records

Superlynx is a three piece band from Oslo, Norway formed in 2013. The band exceeds genres with their distinct sound and melts heavy psychedelic rock, doom, meditative atmospheres and droning riffs together. After releasing their third album Electric Temple and Solstice EP and playing some great gigs and festivals in 2021, the band went back in the studio and are now ready with their fourth full length album.

This coming release also sees Superlynx moving on from the Norwegian label Dark Essence to Italian label Argonauta Records. All of Superlynx ́s releases have received wonderful reviews and ended up on many best of the year lists. They have been known to write songs that are dealing with heavy personal emotions but always turned towards light, love, nature and the magic joy of music itself.

Superlynx loves playing live and have developed a reputation as a great live band delivering powerful and atmospheric shows. Through their gigs around Norway and abroad the band has made their mark as a heavy and hypnotic live band with sincere, intense and explosive expressions. Superlynx have played festivals like Høstsabbat, Hellbotn, Inferno Festival, Midgardsblot, Pstereo, Musikkfest Oslo, 360 Festival, Oslo Beikmørke etc. The trio have also shared stages with bands like Weedeater, Sabbath Assembly, Gold, Chrch, Fister, The Wounded Kings, Grave Pleasures, Virus, Sâver, Order, The Moth, Funeral, Narcosatanicos and many more.

In 2023 Superlynx will celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band with releasing new music, a new additional live member and returning to the stage.

Says the band: “We are so excited to start our 10th year as a band with signing to Argonauta Records. We look so much forward to sharing new music this year and feel that Argonauta will be a very fitting home and launch station for the new album. Since Pia has already released her solo album on this label we also know how hard working and dedicated these people are. We really look forward to starting a new chapter together”.

SUPERLYNX are:
PIA ISAKSEN (BASS/VOCALS)
OLE TEIGEN (DRUMS)
DANIEL BAKKEN (GUITAR)

https://www.facebook.com/superlynxovdoom
https://www.instagram.com/superlynxdoom/
https://superlynx.bandcamp.com/

www.argonautarecords.com
www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords/
https://argonautarecords.bandcamp.com/

Superlynx, Solstice EP (2021)

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