Overwhelmed or unprepared – here’s the latest chilling portion of A.A.Williams Gothic noire melodrama.
MASTERING THE EXTREMES
Having warmed up with a typically A.A.Williams face melting encounter at the Deaf Institute in Manchester in the early months of ’26, and with what feels like an age since As The Moon Rests now behind us, a most welcome new A.A. set emerges.
New yet familiar, the pairing of gentle piano and ominous distorted chug introduces Poison, and as sure as A.A. is pulled under, declaring that Poison “be my saviour from myself“, comes the reassurance that Solstice is set to offer another unsettling dark ride. Goosebumps at the ready.
Mastering the extremes that swing from light and fragile to darker and weightier musical and lyrical elements, the ever present threat of an explosive burst has us shifting uncomfortably on the edge of the seat. Never comfortable, always aware that the reverence in any respite of immersive silence could be torn crushingly down. The ever present tension becomes a habitual neighbour.
INTIMACY
The intimacy of the combination of a single piano and aching voice is a tool used to which A.A. returns to as standard. Never too far away is a hold your breath moment and inevitably, the shift into huge sound textures – check the transition in Wolves – offers up the rollercoaster ride of feelings that A.A. followers will be accustomed.
Little By Little is almost jazzy; electric piano adding a shimmer to the confessional and dawning realisation of the title. The emotional shift of disconnection leads to the inevitable thundering crescendo at the halfway mark. At this point, the most devastating moment of the record as the sudden searing intrusion sees the rolling waves become relentless until the arrangement comes full circle.
New acolytes to the charms of A.A.Williams might, in her own words, encounter feelings of being overwhelmed and unprepared. The template is a simple one – lull…false sense of security…intimate and formidably delicate…spectral presence…crushing surges of cinematic breadth…and above all, whether it be in the peaks or troughs, refinement and finesse. And then some – take Outlines as an example where A.A. briefly channels Karen Carpenter as she croons of never being “afraid of the future we could make.“
Exploring beauty in the melody and darkness, I’ve Seen Enough and The Veil throw curveballs where the highs never come. The focus remains resolutely on the subtlety and elegance of the vocal which is sequenced cleverly to emphasis the contrast of venom in Just A Shadow where the profanity is shocking and the general air more aggressive. Ever teetering on the edge of something revelatory or revealing, Solstice sways between the shadows and the renewal of its title, providing a enriching experience.
Here’s Just A Shadow:
A.A. Williams: Website