Guitarist Andy Glass started Solstice back in 1980, but to me their sound always felt more like an early 70’s band, in a good way, with a very genuine and authentic folk-Prog feel. Over the years there have been a lot of lineup changes, stops and starts, with Andy being the sole member throughout. Their newest album, Light Up, is only their 7th album to come from their 40+ year span.

As a estimate to their dedicated fans, the production of Light Up was fully funded by a crowdfunding campaign that hit its target days after launch.

Light Up still has that “came-from-the-70’s” feel that I love, but sonically it’s clean and modern. This is a very complex “folk” album, almost Mahavishnu Orchestra sounding at times. It hits the perfect mix of Folk and complex, jazz-filled Prog, and masterfully navigates the soft with the hard, with layered vocal tracks providing a mellow, pad-like tone to everything.

We love this sort of album to include in our rotation at Prog Radio. The songs become the perfect palate cleanser to more traditional Prog, while still fitting in.

Solstice keeps evolving while maintaining the soul of their unique sound. Light Up continues the journey in a delightful way. 4 Stars!

Light Out comes out on January 13, 2023, but you can hear songs from it playing now at Prog Radio.