Regardless of how great a song is, I really need a video to grab my attention visually within a few seconds, or it’s not going to get in this here column. “Blank Stare,” by a band called Solids, won me over with its first images of tiny red and yellow houses, contrasted against a blindingly blue lake and an aggressively orange mountain range, which made my eyes almost start watering just from the sheer brightness of the colors. Because, acid.

Despite having a name that reminds me of milk (don’t ask) Solids are possessed of a sound that is just so wildly appealing on many levels: like Husker Du and Guided By Voices had a baby whose favorite was band was Bleach-era Nirvana. Or something. Surely I do not have to break it down any more than that, unless you are a bit of a simpleton, which is something I would never accuse you of being. And did I mention that the clip is animated? That’s always fun on a Sunday morning, amiright?

“Blank Stare” can be found on the band’s recently released EP, Else (out on Topshelf and Dine Alone Records) which has been called “a melancholic deconstruction of  ’90s slacker ethos, that also charts Solids’ transition into a wider and more experimental sound, borrowing strands from Dinosaur Jr., Hum and Unwound and coiling them into an anxious, alienated sound that’s all their own. The final product is a snapshot in 19 minutes of a band that’s traveled 5000 miles, having chained itself to the road in search of inspiration.” Enjoy!

TOUR DATES

04.29.16 – Victoriaville, QC @ Salle des Scouts
04.30.16 – Chicoutimi, QC @ Sous Bois
05.05.16 – Boston, MA @ O’Briens *
05.06.16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Palisades *
05.07.16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie *
05.08.16 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd *
05.09.16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Black Forge *
05.10.16 – Columbus, OH @ Big Room Bar *
05.11.16 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean *
05.12.16 – Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar *
05.13.16 – Toronto, ON @ Smiling Buddha *
05.14.16 – Montréal, QC @ Ritz PBD *
05.25.16 – Oviedo, SP @ Lata de Zinc
05.26.16 – Donosti, SP @ Dabadaba
05.27.16 – Madrid, SP @ Get Mad Festival
05.28.16 – Barcelona, SP @ La [2] de Apolo
05.30.16 – Heerlen, NL @ Nieuwe Nor %
05.31.16 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown %
06.01.16 – Groningen, NL @ Vera %
06.03.16 – Bordeaux, FR @ El Chicho
06.04.16 – Poitiers, FR @ Less Playboy Is More Cowboy
06.06.16 – London, UK @ The Old Blue Last @
06.07.16 – Sheffield, UK @ The Picture House @
06.08.16 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope @
06.09.16 – Oberhausen, DE @ Druckluft
06.10.16 – Leipzeig, DE @ Zoro
06.12.16 – Darmstadt, DE @ Ottinger Villa
06.13.16 – Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
07.08.16 – Halifax, NS @ Grid Lock Festival
07.09.16 – Halifax, NS @ Grid Lock Festival
07.11.16 – Moncton, NB @ Plan B $
07.12.16 – Charlottetown, PEI @ Baba’s $
07.13.16 – Sackville, NS @ Thunder & Lightning $
07.14.16 – Fredericton, NB @ ReNeu Boutique $
07.15.16 – Québec, QC @ L’Anti, Festival d’été de Québec
08.13.16 – Atlanta, GA @ Wrecking Ball Festival

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: "Blank Stare", Animated, Bob Mould, Dine Alone Records, Else, Grunge, Music Video, Pixies, Solids, Surfing Dog, Topshelf, Tour Dates, Video Clip of The Week