Solkyri - "Cranebrook"
The new EP from the Australian post-rock pioneers
"Cranebrook" is the name of the new EP by Australian post-rock pioneers Solkyri. The record is once again groundbreaking and incredibly beautiful. Released on February 7th 2025, on Bird's Robe Records and Dunk!Records, it inspires hope, combines playfulness and lightness and allows listeners to linger in the moment while the world outside continues to rage.
Piece by piece, I enter into a narrative that needs no words. With "Cranebrook", Solkyri have once again managed to convey exactly what they have to say with their music. It feels familiar, inspiring and beautiful.
"Wherever We End Up Next"
Strings, harmonies, dreamlike sequences and delicate allusions to music from times long past combine so wonderfully harmoniously in the first track, "Wherever We End Up Next", that it is a delight. That guitar! I love it!
"I Guess I'll Be Leaving Now"
"I Guess I'll Be Leaving Now" is another quiet track. The song is more reflective than its predecessor. A feeling of uncertainty hovers over everything, but the sun shines through, and hope remains a familiar underlying note here, too. The piano fades into the room, dissolves, and the melody glides into drone sounds. The glockenspiel and metallophone, which characterise Solkyri's new EP, also make their first appearance at this point. A delicate guitar can be heard in the final third here, too. Strings are added. The curtain rises. It's hard to say goodbye.
"Autumn Mould"
"Autumn Mould" tells the story of what remains when a phase passes. Like a distant memory that you encounter every day because it has left a shadow on the windowsill. Light and yet persistent and lasting. Set to music by Solkyri, it sounds atmospheric, floating, light, and metallic at the same time. Small, deliberate disharmonies appear like cracks in the perfect, shiny porcelain. Glued and gleaming golden. Because everything must go on, and reflection follows times of uncertainty. The clouds clear, and the band's characteristic post-rock sound emerges.
At this point, it becomes clear what drove Solkyri to write the six tracks on "Cranebrook"—during a lockdown in the middle of the pandemic. Multi-instrumentalist Ryan Fitz-Henry describes it like this:
"The approach to this record was almost forced upon us due to the situation relating to the global pandemic. But this allowed us to lean into a new direction, both musically and thematically, without the comfort of our main instruments that we usually compose with."
"1804"
Percussion and classical string instruments—guitars and strings—also characterise the next song. "1804" begins with electronic sounds—including drums—but then continues this tradition of the record and tells the story, which Solkyri once again manages perfectly without lyrics. It plays out all by itself in front of your inner eye and lets you immerse yourself in this world of fantasy and enchantment as you listen.
"You Coward (Shambles II)"
In "You Coward (Shambles II)", the initial creepiness caused by a droning and distant-sounding clatter is quickly replaced by a happy feeling of togetherness. Relaxed laughter can be heard—but it also sounds far away—like a memory of the carefree times before isolation. Here too, Solkyri play with atmospheric sounds that integrate harmoniously into the sound of the classical instruments.
"Where The Quiet Can Hide"
The contrasts that make "Cranebrook" what it is can be felt particularly clearly in the final track "Where The Quiet Can Hide". The abyss of uncertainty is back, and thoughtfulness spreads. The definite piano chords mix with picturesque chimes. Hope emerges and carries the listener away with the good feeling that things will continue. The drums are back. It's going to be good, what's coming.
"Cranebrook" is an impressive EP full of stories. Stories from our time, stories of the time vacuum of the pandemic, which is now so long ago and yet feels so close. Stories of friendship, connection and love and stories of doubt and uncertainty.
Be sure to listen to this record—preferably without interruption and on headphones, so as not to miss any of the fine and brilliant details that Solkyri have incorporated into this masterpiece. Stay tuned! There'll be more from the band here on Sounds Vegan soon!
In 2020, I interviewed Solkyri about their album "Mount Pleasant"—in the middle of the lockdown. If you want to recapture the mood of that time, I recommend you read it.
