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2018 single by Smashing Pumpkins From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Solara" is a song by American rock band Smashing Pumpkins. It was the band's first song to be released after reforming three fourths of the band's original lineup in 2018,[4] featuring Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin performing on a track together for the first time since 2000's Machina/The Machines of God album[5] and subsequent non-album single "Untitled"[6] prior to their original breakup. It was released as a single on June 8, 2018, as the first song from a set of two upcoming EPs that were set for release in 2018 before a full-length album titled Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. was announced in September.[7] The song peaked at number 47 on the US Hot Rock Songs chart.[8]
| "Solara" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Smashing Pumpkins | ||||
| from the album Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. | ||||
| Released | June 8, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Studio | Shangri Las[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock[2][3] | |||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Corgan | |||
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
| Smashing Pumpkins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was first released on June 8, 2018, making it the first song to be released by original members Billy Corgan, James Iha, and Jimmy Chamberlin in 18 years.[9][10] The song does not feature original bassist D'Arcy Wretzky,[11] but does feature long-time guitarist Jeff Schroeder, who has been with the band since 2007.[12] The song was produced by record producer Rick Rubin, who the band had previously worked with on the Adore track "Let Me Give the World to You".[13][14]
The song made its live debut on national television on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, June 11, 2018.[6]
The song was originally written and demoed for band's ninth studio album, Monuments to an Elegy (2014), with Corgan noting: "Jeff [Schroeder] and I were the only people in the band at that time and we just couldn’t find the magic. We always thought the song was strong [...] so when we came in, in this situation, the minute we put it in Jimmy Chamberlin's hands, it’s like, 'Oh, there’s the magic.' It got a lot easier after that."[15] Guitarist Jeff Schroeder elaborated: "We didn’t over-intellectualize it and try to write a song that would reintroduce the band. I think that we just played, and I think certain characteristics that are strong points of the band came into play, and so I think that what you hear is very classic Pumpkins, because that’s kind of everybody doing their job and doing it well and it just works."[15]
A music video directed by Nick Koenig[4] was released on June 28, 2018, containing "classic horror imagery".[16] Rolling Stone described the video as "utterly bizarre", in which lead singer Corgan is "being held captive in an otherworldly asylum."[17] The music video was not released in conjunction of the song's release, despite Corgan teasing a still frame from the video as early as May 2018.[18][19]
Consequence of Sound had a mixed response to the song, praising Chamberlin's drumming, but ultimately feeling that "'Tarantula' was a far more memorable reunion jam".[14] Billboard described the song's sound as a "chest-out rock song, loaded with grinding guitars, a pounding rhythm section and big fills.[2] The song was described as have "chugging" and "stuttering" sound in the verses building into a soaring and multi-layered chorus, with Corgan singing "Tear down the sun/Bring down the sun/I'm not everyone/I'm not everyone/I'm not everyone."[1][20] Revolver noted that the song sounded more like the band attempting to tap into their established sound and "write a track that's fun" than push the boundaries of their sound artistically.[20]
Band
Production
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Rock (Billboard)[21] | 30 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] | 47 |
| US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[23] | 46 |
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