A.A. Williams // Solstice // Album Review

A.A. Williams is an artist lesser known to me, so I am looking forward to enveloping myself in her latest offering, ‘Solstice’, which lands this coming Friday, June 5th, courtesy of Reigning Phoenix Music.

With 3 EP’s and 3 Albums under her belt, Solstice represents her first new solo work since ‘As The Moon Rests’ in 2022. She is an artist who has garnered attention from some of the most reputable in the industry, such as Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and The Cure’s Robert Smith, to name but a few, but as the two names will tell you, they come from a quirky corner of the industry and a more retrospective and arty edge of the industry. So what will A.A. Williams bring to the party with her latest offering? Well, from the opening track, you soon realise that she is indeed an independent thinker when it comes to personal expression. For many out there, that will be very welcome. In a world filled with cookie-cutter bands, we all need that deviation from the mainstream to cleanse the palate once in a while.

Her sound is an immersive, ambient, dark rock that swarms over you, forcing you to let go as each track consumes you. It is indeed an album you need to sit down with, shut out outside distractions, and just give in to its majesty. I would liken her to a darker, edgier Tori Amos, a true songwriter, storyteller and cinematic landscape builder, as each song just mesmerises more than the last.

There does seem to be a tsunami of artists in our periphery now in the vein of Ms Williams and the like. I guess the arrival of Sleep Token will have opened up a whole new world of artists like these who push the boundaries, test the limits of a specific genre, and explore the possibilities for where they can take it. Or maybe the music industry has finally decided to give such artists a platform to shine. I, for one, am very glad they have. The world would be a very dull place indeed if we lacked this kind of musical expression; variety is, after all, the spice of life.

What I love about her music is the space she gives it to breathe; there appears to be a purposeful, conscious, laborious pace that lets it sink in, to be absorbed at a pace that feels cathartic. Even when the vocals fade, the instrumental sections carry you along beautifully.

I honestly had no idea what I was walking into when I opened up this album to review, but I am glad I did. A.A. Williams is a revelation, a breath of fresh air. ‘Solstice’ is a soul-stirring collection of songs that will reignite your love for the humble singer-songwriter, a reinvented, mutated take on what you thought you knew a solo artist to be.

‘Solstice’ is as pure and soulful an expression as you will find in 2026.

You can find out for yourself this Friday, June 5th, courtesy of Reigning Phoenix Music.

Pre-Order Here