I became a huge fan of British psychedelic pop/rock act Solar Eyes in the summer of 2021 when they first released their brilliant single “Naked Monkey on a Spaceship”. They subsequently dropped an even better single “I See the Sun”, which I loved so much, it went all the way to #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and ended up ranking #18 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.

Their music is an arresting style of pop/rock awash in dramatic psychedelic grooves, twangy Western-style guitars and dreamy cinematic synths, giving them a distinctly unique sound. Based in Birmingham, they now consist primarily of singer-songwriter, musician and producer Glenn Smyth and drummer Sebastian Maynard-Francis, along with new bassist Emily Doyle (former member, guitarist Tom Ford, moved out of the area and no longer performs live with them, but still helps with the production of some of their music).

Their music has been featured in numerous televised sporting events, including Sky Sports, BT Sport, BBC Match Of The Day and Birmingham City Football Club, as well as traditional alt-rock radio channels such as BBC Introducing Hereford, BBC 6 Music and The Guardian. Last spring, they had the privilege of performing at the legendary SXSW (South by Southwest) festival in Austin, Texas. In February 2022, Solar Eyes signed with the label Fierce Panda Records, through which they’ve released three EPs – Dreaming of the Moon, Alcatraz, and Naked Monkey on a Spaceship. (I’ve reviewed quite a bit of their music, and you can read some of those reviews by clicking on the ‘Related’ links at the end of this post.)   

Now they’re back with a terrific new single “Let’s Run Away“, the second single from their forthcoming debut self-titled album Solar Eyes, set for release on February 16th, which they’ll be launching with a hometown show at Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds. The song was written by Smyth, who co-produced it with Francis, and mixed and mastered by Jeff Knowler. Smyth played guitar and sang vocals, Francis played drums and percussion, Liam McKeown played additional guitar and keyboards, and Tom Boddison played slide guitar.

Smyth wrote, and the band recorded, the song following Solar Eyes’ appearance a SXSW last year, where he was inspired by the historical lore and Tex-Mex flavor of the Austin region. Specifically, he drew inspiration from “small-town tales of daylight robberies in times of old and rumours of the last crimes of the infamous duo Bonnie & Clyde“. He elaborates: “‘Let’s Run Away’ was one of the last songs to be written on the album; it was written in Texas last March when we were out there playing South by Southwest. You can sort of hear it as well, there’s that Americana haze type sound. Spaghetti western vibe. I sort of had in my head – now this might sound a bit mad – Tracey Chapman ‘Fast Car’ – in essence, but with a brummie slant.”

Accordingly, the song features their signature exciting Spaghetti Western-style guitar lines layered over lush cinematic synths and a haunting psychedelic groove, fortified by Francis’ energetic galloping drumbeats. It all beautifully conveys a sense of intrigue and remorse expressed in the lyrics delivered by Smyth’s wonderful droning layered vocals: “I hope that given time, you’ll forgive my crimes, I don’t wanna die alone, I love you, I let you go, I’m to blame / I see it all, I heed the call, let’s run away…”

“Let’s Run Away” is another fine song from Solar Eyes, and in fact, their entire forthcoming album is outstanding. The colorful animated video was created by the band’s new bassist Emily Doyle.

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Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud / YouTube