Prolific singer/songwriter and frontman for The Pineapple Thief, Bruce Soord, returns with a new solo album titled ‘Luminescence.’ While Soord’s music has always been largely melancholic and mellow, the tracks on this intimate collection are slightly even more subdued then his last solo release, 2019’s All This Will Be Yours.’ But that is not a negative here as these songs are beautiful, contemplative, and still very engaging. Soord proves once again he is one of the today’s best storytellers.
The album begins with the gorgeous “Dear Life” a thought provoking track about how delicate life is singing, “don’t wish it away,
don’t wish that it will all be over.” Built around his voice, an acoustic guitar, and a simple drum loop, the song captures what the album is about in a brief 3 minutes.
“Lie Flat” provides a little more tempo and atmospheric synth sounds around a Soord’s reverbed vocals. This is another enchanting song. But the song that has perhaps the best hook on the album is the 3rd track “Olomouc.” The song starts with just Soord and an acoustic guitar, but the chorus pops out of nowhere and is simply breathtaking. This is a really great track. Other outstanding tracks include “So Simple” the title fits perfectly, and the second single “Nestle In” which is the albums most upbeat song by a slight margin. The album closes on the orchestral “Find Peace,” a wonderful way to conclude.
Soord doesn’t reinvent anything on this album, but rather does what he does brilliantly. He creates a mood and an atmosphere with his music as only he can do. The songs here are beautiful and make for a great listen. While many fans might still be on edge for the next Pineapple Thief album, this is a great collection to get you through that period.
Released on Sept. 22nd, 2023 on Kscope
‘Luminescence’ track list:
Dear Life [03:03]
Lie Flat [03:51]
Olomouc [03:55]
So Simple [02:05]
Never Ending Light [04:13]
Day of All Days [03:23]
Nestle In [03:15]
Instant Flash of Light [03:36]
Rushing [03:03]
Stranded Here [03:41]
Read to Me [02:07]
Find Peace [04:45]
Order the album here: https://BruceSoord.lnk.to/Luminescence
