A moment in time – bereft of warmth and familiar voices, swathed in yearning for outcomes that never came to pass, longing for people who aren’t there, asking for forgiveness on deeds that can not be forgiven. Somewhere in the startling and suffocating yet deeply moving static, a grain clings on to both things that never were and those that it hopes will one day be, while drifting further beyond the perimeters of consciousness, away from helping hands, out of rescue’s reach. Within the constantly growing embrace of nothingness and extreme isolation, it begins to recognise echoes of its past self, as if calling from behind a veil, reining it to float towards yet another unknown, only to be met by itself, existing simultaneously here and there, in before and after, in the once were and the will be.
I’ve written about Mark Solotroff a multitude of times, either by means of premieres or this feature, and I keep coming back for more whenever I see that name appear out of the blue. Today, I’m glad to provide the verbal vessel carrying the premiere for the song “Frozen Gestures Under the Milky Surface”, taken from his upcoming album In Search Of Total Placelessness, out on the 25th of this month. Take a moment to wind down from whatever it is that you’re doing, grab a pair of headphones or dial your speakers up to their limits while preparing to take a dive into the lap of noise, hit play from below, and close your eyes.
The opening metaphor, while potentially a bit out there, becomes more tangible when you apply the same sentiment to everyday life. After all, I’d argue most of us can relate to being out of place; to existing in a liminal space where we have abandoned our past selves yet can’t quite put into effect the self that we are going to be. Whether places, people, moments, commodities, or anything else for that matter, as beings, our primary experience is the constant struggle between losing and gaining while trying to discover our purpose, and sometimes being stuck in the middle to no avail.
All of the above being merely my own interpretation, Solotroff also explained the following on the song’s backgrounds;
‘“Frozen Gestures Under the Milky Surface” is rooted in a place that first etched itself into memory many years ago, shaped by a sound both unsettling and quotidian. Formed intersection of human presence and natural forces, it carries the weight of its origins—a persistent, undeniable pulse woven into the fabric of existence there. As the music unfolds, it transports the listener into a realm where sound becomes an immersive force, tethering past experience to the present.‘
The song itself feels like it’s recorded from beyond the abovementioned veil, washed in static while familiar sounds and echoes form a near-percussive, haunting element to provide movement to the entire six-minute track. The wavering and pulsating fuzz forms a tapestry that washes over you frantically, encasing all sorts of glimpses of things that you need to decipher for yourself to comprehend. There’s ultimately very few words to properly convey the state of emotion I am trying to piece together here, so it’d be wise for you to just listen to the song itself, on repeat, to discover what it is that you personally need to discover in this very moment.
In Search Of Total Placelessness can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp where you can also stream a previously released single off of it, and you can stay up to date on Solotroff and his doings on Instagram and Facebook. There’s still some time before the new one drops, so take your time to go over his previous albums in preparation for what’s to come.
