Multimedia Artist Sean Solomon Shares His Most Personal Song Yet
An arbiter of “intimate and contemplative indie-folk" (Paste), animator and musician Sean Solomon is releasing his intimate new single “Black Hole” today, which echoes the stripped-down, raw ache of The Microphones’ ‘The Glow Pt. 2’.
"When I was 15, I went to a psych ward. I was doing too many drugs and finally they caught up with me," Sean explains of the song, which holds nothing back as he works to understand how a drug-related psychotic episode impacted his familial relationships as well as the one he has with himself. "This eventually led me to getting sober and focusing on music and art," Sean continues. "I haven’t had an episode since, but I think about that moment all the time. It not only changed who I am as a person but also an artist." Listen below.
Listen to “Black Hole”: https://youtu.be/8ifXfiu1o44?si=8wdX3Xgf4JF9QLTg
“Black Hole” is the next track in a continuation of Solomon’s multimedia world-building, which previously included the songs (with Solomon-crafted animated videos) “Car Crash” and “Shooting Star.” His music is a blend of emotional vulnerability, humor, pathos, and joy set against a backdrop of DIY-leaning indie rock; just loose enough where the seams show, but the foundation never falls apart.
The song’s music video was also hand drawn by Solomon. “The video is made from 99 sheets of paper that I animated on again and again, creating a never-ending loop that evolves every time it repeats,” Solomon explained. “I thought it conceptually matched what the song is about - in life we learn, we grow, but we can’t go back or erase the mistakes we’ve made.”
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, Solomon felt especially drawn to both music and animation and immersed himself in episodes of The Simpsons and illustrated stories by graphic novelist and Ghost World author Daniel Clowes. Meanwhile, Sean was an avid fan of seminal ‘90s and early 2000s punk and alternative acts such as Daniel Johnston, Elliott Smith and Nirvana, the latter of whom he admired for the way they preserved their artistic integrity in the face of global stardom. Adopting his own punk sensibility, Sean and his high school band, the folk-punk Moses Campbell, played all over LA, booking their own shows at coffee shops, houses, and famed DIY venue The Smell. This was followed by playing in the three-piece band Moaning who released two albums on Sub Pop.
Though Sean intentionally walks through the darkest tunnels of his past, it’s all with the intention of finding light and community on the other side – to let anyone else who feels it all know that he’s walking alongside them. “Something I love about comic books is how they are not regarded as something smart or sophisticated. You get some of the most honest and fucked up art being made in these things, because no one's paying attention,” Sean says. “And I think that there's something really beautiful about how it's for everyone, like how bell hooks writes her books so everyone can understand them. Or how The Simpsons satirizes culture. I just think that’s something I've been trying to do with my art — blending animation, comics, and music — to talk about sophisticated topics in a way that is enjoyable and for everyone.”
This March Solomon will be supporting Unknown Mortal Orchestra on their upcoming European tour; all dates listed below.
TOUR DATES
March 10 – Vilnius, Lithuania @ Kablys #
March 11 – Riga, Latvia @ Palladium Riga #
March 12 – Gdansk, Poland @ Stary Manez #
March 13 – Berlin, Germany @ Metropol #
March 15 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega #
March 16 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller #
March 18 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Nalen / Fallen #
March 19 – Lund, Sweden @ Meteriet #
March 22 - Utrecht, Netherlands @ Trivoli #
March 23 – Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma #
March 24 – Paris, France @ Le Trianon #
March 26 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland #
March 27 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall #
March 28 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield Foundry #
March 30 – London, UK @ Earth Theater #
# - with Unknown Mortal Orchestra