NEVER SOL
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tell the sea i’m coming back
new ep
listen here
Released on cassette in edition of 80 copies on Stoned to Death Records
get here
Core element of this new ep by Never Sol, pipe organ, was recorded in reconstructed remains of an old baroque church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Povýšení Sv. Kříže). Built in the early eighteenth century directly after black plague pandemic, the church has seen its active years between 1717 and 1839. After more than century of dilapidation its reconstruction begun around 1950’s, but it was not before 1984 that the church was brought back to life and established as Prague’s key cultural point, which nowadays goes under name Atrium Žižkov and its know for its concert hall with double-manual pipe organ.
In winter and spring of 2023 Sára Vondrášková, known under Never Sol moniker, has attended six months residency at Atrium Žižkov. Never Sol’s attraction to pipe organs rose from its theoretical similarity to modular synths, which are her key instruments nowadays. Colors, tones, length and depth can be all altered and controlled by a focused player almost in similar manner one is controlling his modular rig. But it was also its heaviness, meditative and spiritual elements of pipe organs for which Never Sol fell for. During those six months she has practiced and crafted her pipe organ skills and finished her residency with a live set of pipe organ compositions. This live set got recorded, but releasing a live album was not a plan. Still, Never Sol did not really want to let go of this lengthy experience and as a memorandum decided to edit certain organ parts and finish them up with additional synth layers (Prophet 08 and Soundfreak) recorded in her home studio and live vocals recorded at the church.
Result, 23 min long mini album Tell The Sea I’m Coming Back invites listeners to undergo Never Sol’s experience from her church residency. But it also functions as an intermezzo between her last album (2018) and the upcoming new one. In the period of the last six years, Never Sol has shifted her focus fully on modular synths, which are now at the forefront of her songwriting process.
about
Never Sol is the alias of Prague-based musician, composer, and producer Sara Vondrášková. With modular synths and vocal at the forefront of her creative process, she creates emotionally charged compostitions that fuse analog synths, reverb-heavy production and cathartic vocal textures.
Once rooted in cinematic dark pop, her music has shifted into a more heavier, noisier sound full of distortion- processed vocals are treated both as narrative and abstract sonic elements and rythmical foudnations lay grounded in heavy industrial drums. Built on feedback, drone, glitch, and deep introspection, her new language embraces fragile resistance, vulnerability and existential sonic urge that’s marked marked by the post-industrial grit of Eastern Europe.
Her latest release Tell The Sea I’m Coming Back (Stoned to Death) is a 23-minute long mini album consisting of three compositions for pipe organ and voice. With solo project Never Sol she released two studio albums: Under Quiet (Denovali Records) and Chamaleo (Supraphon) with which she toured in Europe and performed in venues and festivals like Lunchmeat Festival, Superbooth Berlin, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Pohoda Festival, Colours of Ostrava, Electronic Music Festival EMAF Tokyo, Knockdown Centre, Union Pool, Alphaville, Non Plus Ultra, Open The Portal, Essen Denovali Festival, Haldern Pop Festival and more.
DANCE/THEATRE
Since 2015 Sara also composes music for contemporary dance performances and theatre, working with dance ensembles like Spitfire Company, Pocket Art, Manus Marketa Vacovska, TYhle, Burki and composed music for City Theatre of Žilina or Prague City Gallery . In 2021 she has been awarded with Czech Dance Platform Music Award for the performances Seperated (Marketa Vacovska) and Constellations III (Spitfire Company).
OTHER
Sara hosts a radio show at Czech National Radio Vltava focused on alternative adn experimental music scene.