''Solitude'' is the fourth studio album by
King Midas Sound
Kevin Richard Martin, often known under his recording alias The Bug, is an English musician and music producer. Martin moved from Weymouth to London around 1990 and is now currently based in mainland Europe. He has been active for over two decad ...
, the musical project of British musicians
Kevin Martin and
Roger Robinson. It was released on 15 February (
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...
) 2019 through Cosmo Rhythmatic.
The album is almost entirely beatless,
and the lyrics explore isolation, loneliness, regret and resentment.
According to Martin and Robinson, it was recorded in a fraught period, but the lyrics are not autobiographical.
Track listing
Reception
While the album was largely met with positive reviews,
reviewers have found the album difficult to recommend due to the overwhelming bleakness of it. Theo Korz for
The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
wrote that "''Solitude'' is not an easy record to enjoy – even in writing this review I was reluctant to return to it", but that the album was "brilliant and awful",
while Louis Pattison for
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
wrote that "''Solitude'' is the sort of record it's hard to recommend wholeheartedly", saying it's "too severe, too unrelenting".
References
{{Authority control
2019 albums
Kevin Martin (British musician) albums