24th July 2023

Review: “A Eulogy For Wasted Time” by Solcura

Having made their live debut in February 2018, Bournemouth quartet Solcura have been treading the boards across the United Kingdom in search of solace since. Their journey thus far has taken them as far as the New Blood stage at Bloodstock (where the compere accidentally introduced them as the heaviest band of the weekend) as well as giving them the pleasure of support slots for Pulled Apart By Horses and Palm Reader. After a two year wait it is time for the arrival of the follow up to 2021’s well received debut album “Serotonin“, a five track EP titled “A Eulogy For Wasted Time” which was preceded by four singles in classic waterfall release fashion. As with their first, this one is once again recorded and self produced by the band, then mixed and mastered by the expert hand of Paul Visser (Black Orchid Empire)…

As a collective, Solcura have self described themselves as a Rock band despite their distinctive Post-Grunge sounds in an effort to avoid being labelled as sounding even vaguely like Nirvana and while we are in a time when most bands leap genres and sub-genres in a single track, there is a clear logic to that. The record begins with “Keep It Close“, the warmth of Harry Young’s clean vocals and some almost tribal drum patterns from Jacob Gower actually making it feel like something from Alice In Chains. There are a couple of moments when there is a threat of an unclean vocal moment which never materialises, the band choosing to bring the cut to the boil and then turning down to a simmer rather than take the obvious route. It’s clever, charming, distinctive and listenable without having a real gut punch moment. “God Now” takes a leaf from the second generation of Grunge and the Godsmack playbook with a solid, crunchy guitar tone and a bluesy solo, ear worm riff and catchy chorus. The balance is perfectly weighted between the elements, the bass drive from Sam Taylor in the centre giving it another textural dimension as a solid addition to the formula.

Ethnic sounds rise from the middle distance to introduce “Imposter Syndrome“, the infectious riff that takes over from Dan Rowe one to savour. Young adds a couple of screamed moments into the mix vocally on this one, even though it’s not actually strictly necessary. The way that the record flows sees a steady improvement in confidence vocally and so by this point he’s at his strongest. Whether that is by design or a happy coincidence is a question for the band themselves but the evidence is there for all to hear. An introspective lyrical narrative to “I Am Weak” is obvious given the title but the warmth of the rich vocal melodies avoid anything rooted in Nu-Metal from creeping in. Instead the band give us another solid slab of Post-Grunge, the dark clouds drifting away in well considered riffs and a bombastic bass line, the verve and swagger of it making for an arena filling sing-a-long anthem. Arguably the biggest surprise on the record is the programming embellishes the opening of “Panacea” before the band return to something more akin to their core sound but the addition is a welcome one as it makes a point of difference. A Jazz inspired mid section with Progressive leanings is an absolute joy, confirming that the band aren’t afraid to test the waters of their borders and boundaries by adding a dream like quality which is astonishing. A record with endless warmth and charm, this is one that hints at what the future might be as Solcura evolve… [7.5/10]

Track Listing