Solids' 2014 debut LP Blame Confusion (Fat Possum/Dine Alone) was lauded for its revved-up take on alt-rock from the early '90s. Its poppy melodies set against a dense, relentless soundscape pointed to guitarist Xavier Germain-Poitras and drummer Louis Guillemette's formative years in the hardcore scene. Their Else EP, out on Topshelf/Dine Alone Records, sees the band checking in after a year of near-endless touring. Having played more than 200 shows in 2014-2015 with the likes of Pity Sex, Makthaverskan, Nothing, PUP, Single Mothers and Metz, the EP reflects that road weariness with a group of songs that vibrate at a lower frequency. These tracks document the waiting, the bleary-eyed confusion and the blur of days that come with life on the road. The EP serves as a melancholic deconstruction of the '90s slacker ethos explored on their first LP. But it 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 of a band that's travelled 5000 miles in 19 minutes; a band that's chained itself to the road in search of inspiration.
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