Following their creative debut releases ‘Transfer Point’ and ‘Everyone Is Your Friend’, we had a chat with unique synth-pop duo SOLARI
Emerging this year with a fiercely unique sound and fresh, creative approach, synth-pop duo SOLARI have tapped into a distinctively cinematic style that feels both revitalisingly exciting and new while maintaining a vintage and nostalgic feel thanks to its analog synthesisers and the depth of its thoughtful lyrics.
Initial singles ‘Everyone Is Your Friend’ and ‘Transfer Point’ does a great job of encapsulating this creativity and guile that the duo and their sound share, highlighting their off-kilter, experimental charm and the sheer thought that goes into every moment. We love the out there nature of this sound and had a chat with the duo to find out some more about it and their future plans.
Who TF are Solari?
Solari are Renée Hikari and David Baron.
How long have you been making music?
We formed Solari about a year ago. We didn’t know we were Solari. We had a studio cancellation and looked around and saw all the synthesizers in the studio and thought: we should do something! It came very naturally.
Why do you make music?
DB: I make Solari music because I have an affinity for a lot of electronic music that I don’t get to make in my normal product work. It fills in an emotional gap for me that is both future-looking and nostalgic.
RH: Solari music is escapism for me with no rules! David and I work on other artists’ records most of the time so to use every one of his incredible collections of analog synthesizers is such a treat. With Solari, I get to tap into a different part of the creative brain which is also great when we go back to working with other artists.
What are your biggest influences?
DB: The band is based largely on 80s electronic bands for me. Kraftwerk’s Computerworld is my Northstar. The technology itself is largely influential – the sound of the Simmons drums or the Arp Quadra.
RH: Yellow Magic Orchestra, Daft Punk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, films by Hayao Miyazaki, Andrei Tarkovsky.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
DB: For Solari, the biggest moment has been making music that captures the essence of records I love.
RH: When I hear Solari’s music I see a burst of colors and I’m immediately transported to a different world and I love it. It’s also my first time singing on a project so to hear my voice with David’s is really cool.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
DB: I think we’re dreamy electro with elements of nostalgia. Human lyrics that skirt the line between man/machine.
RH: Also, 80’s synth wave that’s sometimes pop; sometimes experimental and cinematic.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
DB: I am never sure what making it is. My made wish would be for a lot of folks to hear and like the music. That is very difficult in this era where so much music is being uploaded everyday. I would feel like ‘we made it’ if we had fans that liked and commented and shared our music. We are new – so that is an exciting prospect.
RH: A Solari signature synthesizer!
We love your new single ‘Everyone Is Your Friend’, what more can you tell us about it?
DB: I lived in NYC for years. I live in the country now. You feel alone in the city a lot even when you are surrounded by people. Even a packed subway ride can feel lonely. It is strange.
RH: I was recently in Tokyo and never felt more alone surrounded by a sea of people, so I decided to shoot a music video there for ‘Everyone Is Your Friend’. The song is about our protagonist Solari who is trapped and lonely in a crowded city. Her journey is to figure out how to escape and find her true self. She questions if there’s anyone she can connect with or if she’s even capable of love in a city that feels like a loop.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
DB: Release more music. Make more music. We are debating making either a chill or driving record. Now that I say this: maybe we should make a chill-driving record!
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
DB: Hopefully someone who enjoys the music as much as we enjoy making it. I hope someone is cranking up ‘Everyone is Your Friend’ or ‘Transfer Point’ and saying: yeah, that’s what I needed!
