Going by the eerie, metronomic beauty of “Stranger Things,” you would assume that Solak is the more serious of Lukas Somers’ two musical projects. Somers has described the other, Honey, as an instrumental trio “born out of jams” and “based on simple melodies, space—and food.”
Solak, on the other hand, is all about Somers, who already spends a good portion of his time performing for—and with—other artists in Antwerp, Belgium’s eclectic indie scene. In 2021, with a fresh batch of his own songs in tow, Somers headed to Ocean Sound studio on the Norwegian island of Giske. Surrounded by the sea and feeding off the mojo of previous clients like Arcade Fire and Travis, he recorded “Stranger Things” and the rest of what would become Atlas, Solak’s second album. Look for it November 15 on the artist-run Capitane label.
Atlas’ latest single hinges on the mantra, “In this life, stranger things happen all the time,” which Somers sees as both a reality check and an affirmation. “Weird things happen everywhere and anywhere,” he says. “It’s all fine.”
Shot at Ocean Sound, the video features Somers with Solak collaborators Laurens Dierickx and Olivier Penu—all on snare drum. “We just wanted a fun memory, since it’s not common to play three snare drums at the same time,” says Somers. “It felt as we were in a brass band.”
We’re proud to premiere Solak’s “Stanger Things” video.
—Hobart Rowland
