Ondness

It feels like the end of an era. Afterall, it is the end of times. Bruno Silva under his moniker Ondness has been releasing records in different labels and his sound has evolved to other realms from then to now. But he always selected exquisite material for our label, creating a narrative to the three records he has now released on Holuzam. “Sol City 2” is the new chapter of our Ondness releases that we began back in 2019 with “Not Really Now Not Any More” and the follow-up “Megadawn” in 2022. Three records, three different formats, cassette, CD and now LP. Trilogy? Full circle? For now.

“Not Really Now Not Any More” came from a time Bruno was mainly working solo, figuring out how he could expand his sound, not only as Ondness but also as Serpente, another one of his monikers. “Megadawn” came as no surprise as a sequel to “Not Really…”, it sounded as an evolution, less raw, he was more determined to scorch his sound. “Sol City 2” is the complete Ondness of this phase, written between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2024, post “Oeste A.D.”, his 2022 album on Discrepant that started to show how intricate his ideas were at the time.

For “Sol City 2” Bruno chose to collaborate with close friends and musicians, Pedro Alves Sousa (saxophone), Kepla (cello) and Carincur, Miguel Abras, Maria Reis and nëss on vocals. You can feel the presence of each of these musicians in the songs. In some moments it feels more like an ensemble effort than a solo album and that’s the beauty of it, it is a record about connection, being together, how that brings more, MORE. “Sol City 2” sounds deeper and present, there’s no gaps, no spaces that need to be filled like in previous Ondness records. The bass/cello creates a new connection with the remaining sounds and when Pedro Alves Sousa’s saxophone is heard, there is a sort of romance, remembering some Harold Budd and Jon Hassell works from the 1980s.

The vocals extend the range of the songs. Up to a certain point, Ondness music was filled with a constant haunting presence and a hopeless feeling, a soundscape for a cul-de-sac. “Sol City 2” shows a way out, listening to nëss & Maria Reis voices is a beam of light, creating a beautiful escape from the here and now. Bruno seems no longer bothered with notions of time - past or present - and it is more concerned how linear his music can be. Before he was deconstructing his own music, in “Sol City 2” he builds on it, creates space - where before there wasn’t - and wants the listener to navigate on that space.

LP. Edition of 300 copies. Holuzam, ZAM043LP.