Recognized as the Best Band in Prog magazine’s recent annual Reader’s Poll, and riding a vibrant wave of enthusiasm generated by their previous albums Sia (2020) and Light Up (2022), Solstice’s forthcoming album ‘Clann’ rounds off the latest chapter of the band’s extensive 40-year journey.
In this podcast, Solstice’s founder, composer, and guitarist Andy Glass chats with Roie about their new album Clann, the band’s history, their resurgence, and more. Clann is set to release on April 4th, 2025.
Listen to the podcast on these platforms:
Apple • Spotify • Amazon • PodBean • YouTube
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Clann traverses a significant amount of musical territory within its nearly 40-minute length. The opening track Firefly is already familiar to many, thanks to its performance at various gigs and its feature on both Live At The Stables and Return To Cropredy. Its high-energy drive, gritty yet captivating grooves, exciting synth and violin bursts, alongside a spectacular guitar solo elevate the spirit, drawing us into Solstice’s enchanting realm. Meanwhile, Life presents a smooth, soulful modern pop vibe with a graceful dance-friendly core, and Plunk serves up a dynamic, swaggering funk in 7/8 with brass accents and a gritty, offbeat guitar solo. Frippa features an urgent, bluesy Crimson-esque riff in 5, showcasing organ, violin, and even more fiery guitar work. The concluding piece, the 14-minute Twin Peaks, evokes what prog innovator and long-time Solstice admirer Steven Wilson has described as the band’s “spacey and spacious” early sound – it is gentle, contemplative, and airy with pastoral, folk influences, ultimately evolving into a soaring manifestation of joyful celebration and spiritual liberation.
Lyrically, the album adheres to the established Solstice motifs of love, joy, peace, harmony, and acceptance, while Clann acknowledges that not everything is always perfect. Although yearning for ultimate redemption, both Plunk and Frippa express a certain critique towards unnamed deceivers, with Plunk even exhibiting some dry schadenfreude at the adversity faced by the song’s antagonist.
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Pre-order ‘Clann’ here:
CD: https://essentials.progrock.com/product/solstice-clann/
Colored Vinyl: https://fairsound.com/product/solstice-clann-rusty-red/
Black Vinyl: https://fairsound.com/product/solstice-clann-black/
Clann Track List
1.Firefly
2.Life
3.Plunk
4.Frippa
5.Twin Peaks
All compositions by Andy Glass
Solstice lineup
Andy Glass – Guitars, backing vocals
Jenny Newman – Violin
Pete Hemsley – Drums
Jess Holland – Lead vocals
Robin Phillips – Bass
Steven McDaniel – Keyboards
Ebony Buckle – Backing vocals
Dyane Crutcher – Backing vocals
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
