Style: Progressive Rock, Post-Rock (Mixed Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Riverside, Porcupine Tree, Leprous, SOM
Country: Russia
Release date: 12 February 2026

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What does it mean to be human? Were we put on this Earth to work toward a common goal? Is our worth based entirely on how many niche underground progressive band reviews we read? The beauty—and horror—of this question is that no matter who you ask, you receive a unique perspective on the human experience. Fedor Kivokurtsev, the mastermind behind Echoes and Signals, birthed Solar into the world with his compositional answer to humanity’s single-most difficult question. Deeply conceptual, like all of Kivokurtsev’s albums, Solar was written with one goal in mind: find what makes us human¹. Solar mandates a listen from top to bottom to truly dive into Kivokurtsev’s view of humanity; each track embodies an emotion that most people experience through heartfelt lyrics and metaphor with a beautiful blend of progressive and post-rock that drives his messaging home into the heart of the listener.

To be human is to be resilient. “Sol Invictus” (Latin for “Invincible Sun”) introduces this theme of invincibility and strength with Kivokurtsev announcing the repetitive force of the sun in his lyrics, calling for the listener to “See the rise of morning glory” with a strong vocal performance that reminds me of all the best parts of Einar Solberg’s vocals². Full force riffs alternate between the guitar and bass sections, as if rays of sunlight were breaking through clouds to reach the listener’s ears. A decadent, phrygian-brushed melody in the bass repeatedly cuts through the main riffs, almost acting like the night sky that hides the sun and its strength, but only for a short moment. This motif of balancing heavy and gentle melodies repeats throughout Solar (“Afterglow” and “Attractor” certainly carry the bulk of this pattern), clearly representing the resilient spirit that Solar embodies. Solar mirrors the behavior of the invincible sun: rising in the morning despite the hardships it may face in the night. And in the same way Kivokurtsev pushes the need for strength in the cycle of life, he does not neglect the very real confrontation of the hardships that night brings to all of us. 

To be human is to be vulnerable. In the grind of daily life, it is easy to forget about inherently strong feelings, but standout track “Wake Me” is an excellent reminder of our sensitive inner-world, breathing with dreamy, bubble-like synths that whisper into the listener’s ear as soft, layered vocals bathe the track in a sonic warmth. Wavering dynamics in the rhythm section and synths take form in what feels like fingertips caressing the listener; Kivokurtsev pleads over this floating soundscape with a gentle voice, calling for his absent beloved to “Wash my fear away and wake me”, making me wish the fingertips of the cinematic synth chords were the safe hands of my own (non-existent) beloved. After stripping down the listener’s emotions, “Wake Me” crescendos into dissonant guitar riffs, producing a melancholy sound heavily reminiscent of Loathe’s “Is It Really You?”, another song that pairs best with a glass of wine and a heavy sense of longing. Other moments in Solar draw on the vulnerability of “Wake Me” through motifs and soft synths (“Nothing But the Light” borrows heavily from this song), but this tender track truly embraces Kivokurtsev’s wish to awaken and explore the vulnerability of the human experience.  

To be human is to be conflicted. The first half of Solar is robust and establishes a strong and serious theme; from “Sol Invictus” to “Wake Me”, the most powerful human emotions are dissected and can easily touch the heart of a sensitive listener³. Solar’s second half, however, loses some of the momentum that the first half sets up so well. One issue stems from the uncertain quality control of the album’s production; some of the most beautiful tracks are followed by songs that lose a touch of clarity in the rhythm section and fuzz out in the mids (looking at you, “Hologram”). With this variance in quality, it can take away from the vulnerable headspace the lyrics⁴ try so hard to draw the listener into. A great album will expose the listener’s heart, beat it to a pulp, feed them raw emotion, and then gently ease them back with a track or section of music that is calm, healing, or uplifting. Solar lacks this emotional bounceback in its latter half, or rather, it takes a little too much time to get to that point. These latter tracks have catchy riffing in the sparkling guitar sections and share moments of touching post-rock melodies, but are less experimental and heavy-hitting than what is heard in “Sol Invictus” or even “Afterglow”. It often isn’t until the end of “Attractor” that my attention fully returns to Solar and I can resume pining over my feelings. With that said, it should remain clear that the latter half of Solar was composed with intentional detail and provides an enjoyable listening experience: It just wasn’t the experience to expect after such an introspective beginning to Solar.

Despite everything, to be human is to be appreciated. Solar does a magnificent job of expressing a unique perspective on the inevitable parts of the human experience: resilience, vulnerability, and growth. Kivokurtsev proves his skill once more with Solar, blending harmonious guitars with a confident rhythm section and demonstrating his ability to continually improve and experiment with new music even after a decade and some change. For those who feel even a tinge of emotion when listening to music, Kivokurtsev encourages you to take this musical journey, open your heart, and remind yourself of the beautiful things that make you you. Remember, there is only one you, so take Solar‘s advice and go find what makes you human. 

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Recommended tracks: Sol Invictus, Afterglow, Wake Me, Nothing but the Light
You may also like: Sisare, Derev, Oak
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Echoes and Signals is:
– Fedor Kivokurtsev (lyrics, guitars, bass, keys, vocals, mixing)
– Alexander Kulkov (drums)
– Alexander Perfilyev (drums recording)
– Tony Lindgren (mastering)

1. Solar is the most conceptually human album Kivokurtsev has written, with the most biologically lacking album cover of his discography. The singles have pretty cool art, though—rejoice, geometric album cover fans! ↩︎
2. At least when Solberg isn’t singing in his higher operatic range. ↩︎
3.  It fascinates me that there are people out there listening to music without much emotional attachment to it. Is that not the whole point of music? ↩︎
4.  Instead of following along on Bandcamp, you should visit the official Echoes and Signals website with official lyrics and art for every track.  ↩︎