Vera Sola - Shades

Vera Sola - Shades

Poet, vocalist and indie rock sorceress Vera Sola bursts quietly onto the airwaves with her claustrophobic debut Shades. An album recorded and populated only by her, Shades has a vintage ethos and a DIY attitude that accompanies Sola’s spectral vocal performance. Sounding like it’s been plucked from a 1950’s time capsule, Shades has hints of Americana, rockabilly, soul and swing.

Interspersed with a brittle honesty, Shades is formulaic but also unapologetically abrasive. Unsettling at times and challenging, intimidating even, in its straightforwardness, Sola has managed to navigate the delicate balancing act between singing what she wants and maintaining radio-friendly sound waves. Although ultimately inspired by the past, particularly in the occasional Memphis-style bluesy twangs of Small Minds or the glowering neon of Black Rhino Enterprises, Shades should not be mistaken for a homage. Rather, it is a funeral pyre, and Sola seems content to burn as long as we are content to listen.

Shades has a darkness and a sharpness of tongue that gives its music independence from her influences. One of the rare albums that can transport you to a forgotten era while not sounding derivative, Shades is a history lesson for a future audience. Shades of blue and grey, but also greatness abound.


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