Solace (EP)

Solace (stylized in all lowercase) is the debut extended play by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt.[1] It was uploaded to his unofficial YouTube channel, dar Qness, on April 28, 2015. Sweatshirt describes this release as "music from when [he] hit the bottom and found something".[2]

solace
EP by
Earl Sweatshirt
ReleasedApril 28, 2015 (2015-04-28)
Recorded2014
Genre
  • Experimental hip hop
  • instrumental hip hop
  • jazz rap
Length10:00
LabelTan Cressida
ProducerEarl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt chronology
I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
(2015)		 solace
(2015)		 Some Rap Songs
(2018)

Music

Solace is dedicated to Sweatshirt's mother, and lyrical themes include drugs, insomnia, depression, losing friends, and missing his grandmother.[3] The project features soft, downbeat production, with little to no drums during Sweatshirt's verses, which allow him to exhibit a more free form and spoken word flow. Musically the project provides a somber atmosphere, with light piano playing, instrumental interludes, and an overall lo-fi aesthetic pulling influences from Illbient and jazz.

While Solace is presented in a singular, 10 minute track, the project is structured into 5 separate parts, which encompass three verses and two instrumental pieces which serve as interludes between each verse, as follows:

Part 1: 0:00–2:06

Part One opens with a dissonant howl across softly gliding strings samples and piano keys, with the repeated phrase "I've been here before" This fades into Sweatshirt's first verse. The verse discusses past relationships, drug addiction, eating disorder, and loneliness.

Part 2: 2:06–4:56

Part 2 immediately follows Part 1, after a short silence. This part is regarded as the centerpiece of Solace, and discusses Earl's depression, constant overthinking, and lonely state. There are no drums present during Earl's verse during this part of the track, with Earl delivering his verse over a smoked out jazz piano loop from the track April In Paris by Ahmad Jamal. Earl's flow on this track is noticeably less energetic than on Part 1, to the point where his verse feels more mumbled than rapped. The verse ends with Earl saying the phrase "stay in it", which can be interpreted as him staying stuck in the endless cycle of depression, which he metaphorically describes as a sink. As Earl's verse ends, the instrumental continues to play for two bars until a loud creaking noise interrupts the instrumental, which flows into Part 3.

Part 3: 4:57–6:20

Part 3 is the first of two main instrumental interludes on Solace. This part is noted for its sharp change in mood from the previous part, almost sounding upbeat. The instrumental is characterized by its light piano and synth leads, and its slow percussion. This instrumental loops for around 1:30, and then promptly fades into Part 4.

Part 4: 6:20–8:13

Part 4 is the third and final verse on Solace, with Earl lyrically exploring his drug addiction, depression, and his grandmother's death. The production on this part, similar to Part 2, features no drums. Earl quietly raps over the melancholy instrumental, which is a sole Fender Rhodes piano playing in the background.

Part 5: 8:13–10:00

Part 5 is an instrumental outro. It features light horns, synths (which take on the melody for the instrumental), light bass, and a sole drum clap.

Critical reaction

Upon release, Solace received critical acclaim. Vice's Noisey called it "beautiful",[4] Spin called it "whoozy and complicated".[5] Pitchfork gave it a positive review calling it "a tranquil 10-minute rap suite" that "seeks out a glimmer of hope in the dark" and that "Earl grasps the great distance of loved ones, even when he sees them so close."[6]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Solace"
Earl Sweatshirt10:00
Total length:10:00
gollark: I forgot what stuff, but I assure you that you might possibly need it.
gollark: You need Mekanism for a lot of stuff. So you are to.
gollark: You need a lot of osmarks metal, yes.
gollark: You put iron ingots and coal into the metallurgic infuser and get enriched iron. Then you run that through and get steel blend, which you smelt into steel. You can decrease coal usage by a factor of 8 by using the enrichment chamber to make compressed coal.
gollark: But it's more efficient and fast. You need a metallurgic infuser and, for coal efficiency, an enrichment chamber.

References
  1. "Earl Sweatshirt". Pitchfork.
  2. https://youtube.com/d3q_0UP6sck
  3. "Earl Sweatshirt Releases 'Solace' Project, Dedicated to His Mom". Billboard. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  4. Bassil, Ryan. "Earl Sweatshirt Has Dropped a Ten Minute Epic and It Is Beautiful". Noisey. Vice.
  5. "Earl Sweatshirt Dedicates Ten-Minute-Long 'Solace' to His Mom". Spin. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  6. "Earl Sweatshirt "Solace"". pitchfork. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
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