soleilmagazine-blog

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After almost a year since his last release, Fighting for Daylight, a solo alternative rock project by Adrian Dueñas, released a 4-track acoustic EP today with all new songs. This record, “Songs to Help You Sleep at Night”, is a huge change from last year’s debut EP “Only Time Will Tell”. Track One : “McPick 2”The EP starts with the song “McPick 2”, and despite its humorous title, you definitely can’t judge this book by its cover. Dueñas sings about his struggle to get sleep, and the intrusive thoughts that are behind his lack of shuteye. His compelling vocals and the soft strumming of his guitar give the song a mellow, haunting tone that strikes deep. I definitely rate this song a 10/10.Track Two : “itstoomuchandimsorry”In the second track, Dueñas continues the idea of struggling with intrusive thoughts. He sings of feeling weak, like he is not strong enough to carry himself. “How long can I run? How much farther will these weary legs carry me?” Dueñas sings. His lyrics continue with similar analogies of feeling weak, eventually revisiting the concept of losing sleep with the line, “And I haven’t slept in days.” With this being my favorite off the EP, I may be biased when scoring this one an 11/10.Track Three : “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”This song is definitely the most lighthearted of the four, starting off with a more cheerful ukulele instead of the usual acoustic guitar. Dueñas sings about love in this one, crooning that “Through thick and thin, our love will always be bulletproof.” He finishes the song by delicately singing the chorus of “You Are My Sunshine”. I easily give this song a 10/10 due to the style and lyricism, but also because I’m a hopeless romantic.Track Four : “I Won’t Be Gone Long, Seymour”The fourth and final track. We are used to final songs on albums and EPs being especially hard hitting and emotional, but Dueñas certainly did not hold back on this one. “I Won’t Be Gone Long, Seymour”, the title of which is a reference to an episode of popular show Futurama, touches on a friend who passed away suddenly in early August, showing Dueñas’ thoughts and emotions over the first month of the loss. It is definitely a tear jerker, whether it be because of the story behind it, the lyrics, or the tone conveyed throughout the song. The raw, powerful emotion in Dueñas’ voice is enough to break someone's heart. I absolutely rate this song a 10/10. Overall, this EP deserves a perfect score. Dueñas pours his heart out in these songs, and he does a fantastic job in doing so. I’m in love with these songs and cannot wait to see what else Fighting For Daylight has in store!

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Shawn Mendes and Khalid have released the long anticipated music video for their joint song, “Youth”, and fans can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Rather than using professional dancers, musicians, and producers for their video, the team used youthful, fresh faces. Their approach was designed to showcase the “youth” in the arts industry, and rightfully so. The artists featured in the video ranged from ages twelve to twenty-one, with talents beyond their years. They range from activists to athletes, representing movements created by youth across the industry. Rather than focusing on themselves, most of the video centered on the talents of the younger generations. Mendes and Khalid recognize the “revolutions” and empowering messages that have been made for young adults, by young adults. The song alone sends a strong message, which is built upon by the powerful theme of the music video. Ultimately, both aspects encourage the power of the youth to lead change and future generations.

written by: em sharbaugh

edited by: becca williams

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loud letters interview

an interview with indie artist loud letters

november 4th, 2018

soleil magazine

introduce yourself

hi! my name is austin and i make music under the name "loud letters". it generally falls into four categories: summer road-trip rock, acoustic springtime picnic music, bops about boys, and very sad songs about death, all drenched in a thick layer of nostalgia.

how did you get your start?

i've pretty much had a guitar in my hand since i was born and have been playing since i was 7 or 8. but in my freshman year of college, i started to (somewhat) frequently write songs of my own. ever since then, i've been wanting to start some sort of band or project.

what has greatly influenced your music? certain artists or people?

like my sound, my influences are all over the place. my summery songs [are] influenced by bleachers, the mowgli's, switchfoot, and alex lahey. my more poppy songs are influenced a lot by artists like muna, grimes, and the 1975,  with the sad stuff drawing from sufjan stevens, julien baker, and phoebe bridgers.

lately, i've been especially inspired by other people making amazing music out of their bedrooms, such as patternist and pronoun who have also both been incredibly helpful and supportive to me and this project.

what inspired the name loud letters?

the band name was actually chosen from a list of band names i keep on my phone, with the help and input of my friends, who have been a vital part of navigating the waters of this project. as far as the meaning, i think i was really tired and trying to think of the phrase "caps lock" but all i came up with was "loud letters" and i immediately put in on the band name list.

system sound, your incredible first single, is the only song on your bandcamp. what is in store for you in the coming months?

thank you for the kind words! so far that's all that i've posted, and that's just a demo to give people a little teaser of what's to come. i'm currently in the process of recording older songs, writing plenty of new ones, and recording my favorites to gear up for my first release, which will hopefully be out next year. (no promises though). i'm actually mapping out my first two or three releases but it's hard to nail down when i'm always coming up with new songs and concepts. rumor has it i may have a trick or two left up my sleeve to reveal before the end of 2018.

your lyrics are absolutely beautiful, did you fall in love with songwriting or the instrumental aspects first?

wow, that seriously means so much to me! i guess i kind of fell in love with the guitar first, but in high school, i fell head over heels for good songwriting. i finally started paying attention to lyrics and became obsessed with bands like switchfoot, lifehouse, and the fray who put a huge emphasis on lyrics and emotion in their music, and that love has continued to the present. in college, i started getting more into the production side of things when i started listening to artists like björk and chvrches.

i saw that you recently played your first show! how did that feel?

it was definitely the most terrifying and most amazing experience of my life. being on-stage by yourself playing songs you wrote about your innermost thoughts is a completely different animal that i don't think i was fully mentally prepared for. at the end of the night, i just felt so happy and fulfilled and full of love.

you collected donations for our music my body at your show, what does this organization mean to you?

they are so important! they're a chicago-based organization with a mission to spread awareness of sexual harassment and assault at live music events and make concerts and festivals a safer place for everyone. to me, concerts feel sacred. unfortunately, that can be ruined in an instant when someone makes a crude comment or touches you without your consent. it's happened to me and it's happened even more to my non-male friends. it's infuriating to think that not only are many people's concert experiences being ruined by harassment, some people encounter it so frequently that they have to worry about whether it will happen at the event they're going to. that makes me so angry, but luckily our music my body is offering a way to fight against that and i would urge anyone who feels the same way to go check them out.

finally, do you have anything you want to say to our readers? if they take away one thing from this loud letters interview, what should it be?

i guess to anyone who doesn't know me i'd like to say hi! thanks for reading a whole interview about a stranger! you're probably really cool! to those who do, i'd like to say thank you for supporting this little project of mine, it means the world to me and has made me feel so loved. and you can expect more, dare i say, soon.

where to find austin: @loudlettersband on twitter and instagram

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love defeats hate

Fans anxiously awaited the lead singer of Twenty One Pilots, Tyler Joseph, as he jumped down from the stage. He stood between the stage and barricade, then climbed his way to the top of the crowd. This is something he did every show, something almost everyone was familiar with, for the popular song “Holding Onto You”. Joseph then looked around at his surroundings, and as soon as he became comfortable, reached out and gripped onto a gay pride flag. The crowd cheered. This was something none of them were expecting, unlike other more familiar stunts.

   For the first time, Joseph was able to show his unwavering love and support for his LGBT+ fans in a way that he did not feel guilty about. In 2016, when gay marriage was legalized in the United States, Joseph was silent while many others celebrated. This lead to confusion for fans as they wondered why he would be silent during such a joyous time for so many. He then posted this letter, which has been a source of controversy since its release.          Many fans know he is religious, but were unsure of his stance on the LGBT+ community.  Some fans assumed he was not supportive, but continued to stand by him. On the other hand, there have been claims of his favorite fan experience being one where a fan came out in front of himself and his band mate, Josh Dun. Joseph has also been known to favorite or like things that are positive about the LGBT+ community, providing a ray of hope that he did in fact support all of his fans. Tyler Joseph taking the pride flag was a significant step away from this controversy. Social media erupted, with photos of him holding the flag spreading across platforms like Twitter and Instagram. This small action caused a large ripple effect, with LGBT+ fans worldwide finally knowing that their idol loves and supports them with all of his heart.

written by: sarah nicholson

edited by: becca williams

picture credit:  @ tiedyekaleigh on twitter

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ROT BY DBMK

“Rot” by DMBK: a Review

Releasing a song at midnight on a Friday with no warning might be considered risky by some, but it was certainly no problem for DBMK. Once again, the Tampa-based band raised the bar for alternative pop with their ever-evolving sound which never fails to impress. Frontman Kyle Knudsen uses “Rot” to deliver hard-hitting lyrics that are deeply personal and specific, but still connect to every person who happens to stumble upon it. “Rot” travels through the emotions of growing up, moving on, and realizing you want more. With fast paced, melodic beats throughout the chorus, the feeling of wanting more and feeling guilty because of it (“I’m rotten straight to the core”) shines through and releases such heavy emotions that it could make you cry. Everything about this song screams “I WANT MORE BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET IT”, an emotion that everyone feels at some point in their lives. Emotions this complex can be hard to get across in such a transparent way, but if anyone is going to achieve this successfully, it will always be DBMK.

written by: alexis colyott

edited by: becca williams

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it’s a good day because it’s #NMF! did we leave anything off? let us know :)

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Happy November! Here’s a playlist full of warm autumn tones to start you off this month :~)

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the driver era releases third single “low” and it slaps, let’s discuss

The Driver Era is a musical duo consisting of Ross and Rocky Lynch. Yes, that’s right, Austin Moon and the R5 guitarist - one of the stereotypical Disney bands we knew and loved. The brothers officially ditched their Disney roots with the release of the last R5 EP (“New Addictions”, May 2017) and single (“Hurts Good”, September 2017), leading to the demise of R5. While these songs had mature themes (ahem), the band struggled to be taken seriously. Trying to escape the childish connotation of R5, and even their individual names, but still wanting to release music, brothers Ross and Rocky went on to form The Driver Era, releasing their first single “Preacher Man” in March 2018. Since then they have released a number of “Preacher Man” remixes and two additional singles,”Afterglow” and “Low”.

Their third single, “Low” was released five days ago (October 26th, 2018) and BOY do I have some thoughts on this song. The song begins with a soft, muffled intro as if you were outside the door of a party, hearing the music blaring, and when the door opens, the first verse begins. With that, the song reaches its normal volume and clarity. While simple enough, with short verses and a repetitive chorus, simple isn’t synonymous with boring. The song’s beat and funk is where the real joy lies. With the bassline placed so far back that you almost no longer hear but instead feel it, and a drum loop recorded on a 1972 Korg Mini Pops Junior Drum Machine, this song has an irresistible modernized vintage feeling that makes you want to sit back, tap your foot, nod your head, and move your shoulders to the beat.

written by: kylie leon

edited by: becca williams 

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about soleil

hi! welcome to soleil magazine! we write about the music we love + you should know about!

why are we called soleil?

soleil is “sun” in french. every time the sun rises, a new day begins. a day for adventure, love, friendship, romance, and even more! here at soleil, we believe music encompasses all of these emotions. along with this, the sun is a source of light in our darkest times, a beacon of hope and faith, as is music.

when were you founded?

october 30th, 2018

where are you based?

eventually, we want to have soleil magazine reps across the globe, but we were founded in + currently based in florida.

how can i join the team?

fill out this form + we’ll contact you!