“I stood face to face with the breaking of the day.”
A. A. Williams is already a post-pandemic success story. She is one of many in the worldwide network of dark gothic songwriters – Emma Ruth Rundle, Chelsea Wolfe, Ethel Cain, Darkher, Myrkur and Sylvaine are just a few examples of her contemporaries. Her style is an intimate and dark serenade, with huge leaps in dynamics and lyrical topics that bear all. Her two albums to date have put her on stages with Sleep Token, Sisters of Mercy, Cult of Luna, and the illustrious Roadburn festival. Many of us in the UK are hoping A. A. Williams will break containment and strike a chord with the mainstream, just by being herself through her music. Could her new album Solstice be that moment?
This new record is certainly A. A. Williams, through and through. Across the album her understated vocals gently shift from fairly direct spoken word to sung passages, leading songs in a gentle procession that only makes the heavy moments bite harder. These high volume segments typically close each track with delay-before-distortion solos and lengthy aftermaths. Piano has perhaps never been more prominent in Williams’ music, running a thread across Solstice from its very start to end. There are some exceptions – “Wolves” and “Just A Shadow” are the ‘rock’ tracks, becoming especially determined and immediate as a result. The latter drops a timeless f-bomb in its lyrics with fantastically spiteful delivery. Orchestral elements are back, too, with brilliant strings on the likes of “It Won’t Rain Forever” and “Breathe”.
Another characteristic of Williams’ style is its simplicity. Solstice sticks to unhurried, methodical song structures, driven by simple melodies and motifs. The turns these songs take are generally expected, moving with a heavy sense of fate as the verses and choruses rise with your instincts. As the early tracks establish this style thoroughly, one does wish for more variation as the record goes on, be that structurally or textural.
Having said this, there are some good surprises, and Williams produces some of her greatest tracks in the process. “Hold It Together” opens with pure voice and piano, summoning a distant string section. The lyrics powerfully balance the lament of suppressing one’s feelings to the point of breaking (“Don’t you know this isn’t easy, feeling everything so deeply?”). At the bridge, a more spirited piano passage begins with a definite sense of forward motion, elevating with Williams’ voice joining as an instrument. The full band joins with a decisive drop with soaring guitar and orchestral elements that are worthy of basking in. This extended instrumental is a direct metaphor for the song’s themes, as when they finally fade, Williams is left wordless, as if the breaking point really did come.
Another strong track is the closer, “The Gentle Harm”. Summarising the album’s themes, it’s another piece that speaks of unequal relationships, and the quiet pain of having to biding one’s time. Turn the volume up all the way to admire how the drums are used to embellish the quiet passages, and keep that volume high to get flattened by the massive outro, complete with powerful organs and more string swells. It’s another moment that takes a page out of the book of post rock and her early collaborator Mono. Importantly, the track priorities its story over a focused chorus, deepening its intrigue.
Other moments that induce a grin are “Little By Little”’s groove switch at the bridge, turning from quiet to loud in a flash of lightning, with a guitar tone to match. “Outlines” surprises with its mood, starting initially hopeful with beams of light projected by delayed guitar, but by its close the darkness has closed in once more. There are a lot of playful, almost ‘nursery rhyme’ patterns as Williams repeats statements on “Little by Little”, “It Won’t Rain Forever” and “Breathe”, all being catchy yet deeply foreboding.
There’s plenty to adore on Solstice, especially if its message of defiance and perseverance resonates with you. Williams’ sound continues to be refined and the piano-oriented approach with dramatic heights works wonders here. There is a strong sense that her sound has room for more variety and experimentation, which could go in many directions. More progressive or post-style ideas that truly disrupt the flow of an album would work very well for her current audience, and she could even execute a very tasteful form of pop. Solstice may not be the break-out hit Williams deserves, but it will absolutely firm up her current base, and provide a stepping stone for what could be a massive career.
