Sol Croft - Creatures EP Review

Singer-songwriter Sol Croft released his new EP Creatures into the world on 27th October.

It is quite different in both tempo, style and mood to his previous offerings, ‘Farewell to the Disciples' in 2020, and from earlier this year, ‘The Black Paintings’.

The first track ‘Czar’ is quite an eerie number, and if you have a moment to check out the excellent accompanying video by Nicholas Rawling and Catherine Rock from The Paper Cinema, then you can find it here. ‘Czar’ begins with a very catchy bassline, and Sol’s haunting vocal delivery laced with some broody, sombre keyboards which are very effective in weaving a discordant musical tapestry, the song drips with moody intensity. This is most certainly a cross-genre track, and the result is bathed with beautifully rich imagery that you can almost feel, the song is all about constructing symphonic textures and atmosphere and channels his poetic song writing excellently. The introduction of the synthesiser towards the end of the track adds a nice quixotic dimension.

‘The Acting Years’ is a completely different sound again, it starts off with almost a jangle-pop vibe, and with some really husky, slightly distorted vocals, and some interesting keyboards in the bridge that are reminiscent of a Wurlitzer organ. The steady drum beat and guitar hook doesn’t change throughout the tracks duration, lending a hypnotic vibe.

‘Can’t Close My Eyes Around You’ is very implicative of a Country and Western song at times, this track would not be out of place on a film soundtrack. Again, the Wurlitzer-style organ is used on the chorus, and it makes for an interesting opposition to the guitar, it should not work, but it does.

‘Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild’ is much more bluesy, with quite a strong Country/folk vibe. Again, Sol uses his vocal delivery and his poetically infused lyrics to really tell a story that is melancholic and it mellow guitar lines allow the listeners mind to wander, to really conjure up images of the scenes he describes. The way these vocals are delivered is somewhat reminiscent of Arcade Fires Win Butler.

This EP is a very different sound to the tracks I heard Sol perform live back in 2017, he clearly isn’t afraid at experimenting, and despite the lo-fi approach taken the songs have quite the epic quality to them. And at a mere 10 minutes and 49 seconds, the EP showcases Sol’s earnest and poignant song writing skills, and despite its paired-back approach is surprisingly visceral.