Album facts
Release: August 31st, 2018
Label: Out Of Line
Genre: Future Pop, Industrial, Solar Fake, Synth Pop
Discogs: Link
The next episode we've all been waiting for
After 'Another Manic Episode' released in 2015, Solar Fake are back with their new album 'You Win. Who Cares?'. To me, this is one of their darkest albums in terms of lyrics and you can literally feel that they put a lot of strong emotions in it. Frustration, sadness and mere anger are beautifully woven into melancholic and sometimes quite aggressive lyrics, accompanied by those typical Solar Fake beats intertwined with bittersweet piano chords.
The album cover is a clear hint at the album’s main theme: People being so self-absorbed that they are unable to see the destruction they cause around them. Every single song seems like a last goodbye to these vampire-like persons who seem to suck you dry and leave you with nothing left.
21st century frivolity
'Sick Of You' is a perfect opener of the new album and sets you in the mood for all there is to come. Starting with soft e‑piano chords, the song quickly finds its way to a stronger electronic pace. The lyrics clearly seem to aim not only at one person but a whole generation:
While fighting with that selfie stick, you look so dumb it makes me sick
Lyrics from ‘Sick Of You’ by Solar Fake
'Wrong Direction' takes up the same theme, in a more personal way though. You can really grasp the regret as well as the disgust in his voice when he sings
I can’t pretend you’re any more than a joke to me
Lyrics from ‘Wrong Direction’ by Solar Fake
Starting at a faster pace, 'A Bullet Left For You' takes these feelings to another level. There clearly are “no more words to say” as disappointment and bitterness break loose.
“Destruction in small amounts”
'Invisible' abruptly slows you down and seems to catch you right in the middle of your most intimate feelings. The chorus’s almost dreamy sounds suck you in and make you feel as numb and depressed as one can be after a painful breakup.
'Anything You Want' tears you out of the veil the last song covered you in and takes you right back to the message of the beginning. Caught between the desperation of wanting to hold on and the need to get away from it all, the surprising switch in the song’s rhythm underlines that there is no other way but to break out.
I don't give a shit 'bout anything you say
Lyrics from 'Anything You Want' by Solar Fake
After these aggressive and brute words, the sad lyrics of 'The Pain That Kills You Too' feel full of regret. It has become clear that all the trying “to try harder” has been in vain and that estrangement has evolved too far as to leave any place for hope.
Taking on a faster pace again, 'Just Like This' brutally reminds you of how loneliness can paralyze you to a point where you can neither go back nor forward. This song seems to be a last angry rebellion before the fall ahead.
Your life feels so improvised 'cause nothing's changed for you at all
Lyrics from 'Just Like This' by Solar Fake
Catharsis
'Too Late' marks a cut and you seem to comprehend that it’s sometimes better to “change your point of view” and leave all this mess behind.
I’m done with wearing masks just to impress somebody else
Lyrics from 'Too Late' by Solar Fake
The sudden decisiveness evoked in the lyrics almost feels cleansing and seems to wash away disappointment and bitterness. This quiet soothing loneliness is developed further in 'If This Is Hope', where all the rage and pain have gone and made way for a melancholic peak.
After this cathartic moment, it is all the more surprising that we’re again confronted with the deep emotions of resignation and anger expressed earlier. 'I Don’t Fight Back' sets a clear and direct statement and reminds you that it is just not worth to lose any more words.
The last song of the album feels like the end of a dramatic play. The emphatic drums and piano chords of 'What If There’s Nothing' depict a doomed and almost apocalyptic scenery in which everything that remains “is just shattered and destroyed”.
As the melody slowly fades out, it leaves you breathless for a moment and you can't help but wonder: “What if?” …
Let yourself be carried away
Solar Fake being one of my favourite bands, I can’t deny having had high expectations after 'Another Manic Episode'. 'You Win. Who Cares?' definitely surprised me in a good way!
This album is for all those who are not afraid to embrace the darkness in themselves – so just give in to it and let Solar Fake carry you into the void!
By the way, this album also made it into our article ‘The best Synth Pop and genre-related albums 2018‘. Read now.
Track By Track Rating
