Sollars – “Exhausted” / “Dragon”

Sollars – “Exhausted” / “Dragon” – Singles Review

I really dig what I’m hearing from Sollars so far.  I don’t have a whole lot of information beyond a link & some artwork & what I can see at Spotify, so we’ll crack right into it and skip over my usual intro and blah blah blah about what I’ve learned behind the scenes…some folks want the music to speak for itself and that could be the case when it comes to this dude.  From what I can see though, looks like he’s been puttin’ the pedal to the metal over the past couple years or so…tons of tunes have come out on Sollars’ page online since 2021, including his recent debut record Hopes & Things, an EP, several singles…it certainly seems like he’s out-hustling the vast majority of the scene right now, and you know I fully dig that too.

He’s rockin’ with that hybrid style that floats between Indie & Emo…the whole MGK thing…but better than that or I’d have already said I’m out for that reason.  Don’t mind the style, but I can’t stand MGK.  Anyhow.  You get it.  It’s an emotional style of music when it comes right down to it, and it’s incredibly relevant for the right here & now of what’s happening out there in this scene we share.  I’ve always found it to be a relatable style of sound too on a personal level…as a guy that rides through his emotions like a rollercoaster on the daily, I appreciate music that is extremely down when it’s down, and way UP when it’s up…that shit is real to me.  You can get all worked up about beats and effects if you wanna, but it’s artists like Sollars that have tapped into something real special and grounded in the music they’re making.  People like this guy are open, honest, vulnerable, raw, and real…that counts for a lot in my world, and in my opinion, it’s been what’s separated the great from the good in every style of music for as long as I can remember.  The more YOU there is in the music YOU make, the better off YOU are.

“Exhausted” is pretty much the anthem for right now.  I ain’t gonna lie to ya – I’m probably more partial to “Dragon” of the two tracks that I’ve got here from the Sollars catalog and his latest releases this year – but I know, without a doubt, there’s a mood and a mode that I can slip into where “Exhausted” would be the ONLY song I’d wanna hear, you feel me?  Just so happens I’m in a relatively good mood today as I write this…and as a self-confessed manic depressive, I’m well aware that even digging too far into the crushing content of “Exhausted” could practically alter my own mood.  If you’ve ever hit the end of your rope, if you’ve ever felt like you’ve been burning the candle at both ends, if you’ve ever not been able to sleep because the thoughts in your head or the feelings in your heart are constantly keeping your mind racing…you know what a song like “Exhausted” is all about.  As soon as he sang “it’s looking like I have lost it,” and gave that last word the extra second’s worth of a contemplative pause, I knew right away that Sollars is the kind of artist that feels things with a sensitivity that unfortunately most people don’t.  I felt it in the lowest of the lows he communicates in “Exhausted” and noticed it just as much in the vivid upswing as “Dragon” took over right afterwards…Sollars is very much in tune with who he is and what makes him tick…and ultimately, within the realm of music, that’s where he can turn all that emotional confusion & chaos into an undeniable advantage that’ll set him apart from the rest out there.  Because that’s just the thing y’all…we’ve got great songwriters out there in this world and I’d be the first to tell ya that they’re really good at what they do…but when you’re absolutely convinced that an artist or band really connects with and feels the material they’re creating, like Sollars on “Exhausted,” the weight is way more tangible.  He’s trying to accomplish everything overnight…and fuck knows I’ve been there in setting this corner of the internet up to last me a lifetime over this past decade…I’m beyond tired every damn day, but no matter how miserable I can be because of never having half the time I’d want to have in order to accomplish everything I need to, I can circle back to the legacy I’ve been creating, and smile.  There are tangible accomplishments now…things that no one could ever take away…pieces of memories that confirm I was here, and that hopefully somewhere in the process, I said something that mattered to someone, or helped them on the path to their own dreams somehow.  I feel like I not only understand what it’s like to be “Exhausted,” but that I completely get where Sollars is coming from in what he’s communicating through this song…and the only advice I’ve got for him is to keep fucking going.  At the end of the day, longevity wins the war my friend…you’ve already got a ton of songs to show for all your efforts, and within five years or so, you’ll have a massive catalog that proves you’ve worked your ass off.  “You need to double down & pick up the pace” – he ain’t wrong y’all…and it’s the fact that he recognizes this and that so many don’t, that will eventually have him running circles around everyone else, full stop.  Everybody thinks we’ve all got time to do what we need to do, and we just don’t – that’s the facts.  The quicker you realize this, the better shot you’ve got at making it.  Let your art be exactly what kills you; and if you happen to experience some degree of success in between livin’ & dyin,’ you’ve done life right.

So don’t get it twisted and don’t get me wrong – I love a heavy track like “Exhausted” that makes my brain move…and ultimately, you can really take a whole bunch of positive and inspiring things out of what Sollars is saying in the words, despite the moodiness of the song and its overall theme of being beyond tired.  In contrast, “Dragon” is a straight-up shot of audible adrenaline that makes you feel real damn good just for listening to it.  No joke folks, I’ve basically had this cut on constant repeat since the moment I got my hands on it.  There are some songs I need to explain to ya…and then there are tracks like “Dragon” that don’t need a single word from me to suport’em.  This is the definition of universal vibes y’all – you NEED to have this song on your playlists this year, and that’s what’s up – you feel me?  It’s a track that’s built on single-worthy sound from start to finish…I’m absolutely all about what I hear on this song, and like I said at the start it’s the gear I’m in right now…so it’s what’s more appealing to me naturally at the moment.  If I was down, there’s a good chance it could have been the opposite scenario I suppose…though I suspect that a track like “Dragon” has such an uplifting thread to it that it’s bound to turn the worst of moods into the greatest of days.  In any event, no matter which song you listen to, you’ll get exactly what I’ve been talking about – Sollars has a connection with music that most people don’t have, and knows exactly how to get emotions across in a sincere and genuine way that we’ll feel them too.  That’s the real power of music right there in a nutshell y’all…and it’s special and it’s rare – Sollars has a serious gift, and that shines radiantly through the shifting moods of his music in ways that none of us could possibly miss.  I’m 100% looking forward to hearing more from this artist in the years to come & following along as he slays whatever “Dragon” is in front of him, fights through being endlessly “Exhausted” from his own creativity & overthinking…and makes his way to number one in the industry.

Bet on it.  Believe in it.  I’m tellin’ ya, Sollars has got something inside him that the rest are missing.

Listen to Sollars at Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Zy1pxKelR4WYq9vEf3nF4

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