By Kira L. Schlechter

While the Scottish trio Solar Sons may have been shaped in their youth by heavier bands – “the Big Four and all the Bay Area thrash, and of course the NWOBHM” … and “modern rock/metal like Faith No More and Alice in Chains,” says singer and bassist Rory Lee, it’s the easygoing, wide-open vibe of ‘70s music that’s most informed their blend of metal, groove, stoner/doom, and prog. 

“Growing up, we always had a love of classic rock and metal, bands like Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, ZZ Top,” Rory said in an interview. 

He elaborated on that in a beautiful way.

“But we do tend to lean back to the classic rock stuff. It was largely what we listened to in those formative teenage years, where our music tastes are formed,” he said. 

“Soundwise, I think we like the space. Things land better with space to move. It’s complex without being over the top or doing things just to be impressive. The songs come first. Lyrically, that era is a little edgy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and always with a simple and relatable message. And it’s endearing, I think. Feels grounded in a way,” he added.

Their latest release, “Altitude” (Argonauta Records) is the sixth from the Dundee-based band – that’s Rory, his brother Danny on guitar, and their cousin Pete Garrow on drums. They say in the press release that the album is about “having a good time with friends, escaping the madness of the city, and pulling yourself out of any woesome funk” – and how ‘70s is that?

That vibe starts right away with the title track, which is about “escaping the daily grind, getting out of the city and getting amongst the trees and nature,” Rory said in reference to lines like “Light fades from the night sky/Dusk rumbles/Reminds me of time/Keeps me humble.”

“We’re lucky in Scotland as it’s never far away,” he said.

The whole idea of the chorus’ urging, “Grow in altitude,” is a message to stay grounded, to “keep the foot heavy” “and build a stronger self,” he said. The second verse is needing to get back to that idea after having lost sight of it, “getting lost in the haze,” as he said.

“Although it may be fun for a while, you can’t stay there forever, and it comes a time to push through and get back on track,” he said.

“Phoenix” is pretty self-explanatory, coming back from adversity and all that, but it poses a challenge too: “How far are you willing to take it?”

“Is that all you’ve got? I know you’ve got more in the tank, kind of thing,” he added. “But it could be listened to in a way that it’s pointing at someone, if that’s how the listener wants or needs to hear it.”

“Right On” is exhibit A of the album’s mission to pull you out of that aforementioned “woesome funk.” Its repeated shouted “oy”s are a distinct nod to AC/DC’s classic “TNT” and its message is to just, as it says, “let ‘em go” – “bad emotions, bad feelings,” Rory said. 

“These things always pass and you will feel better – nothing lasts forever, so dust yourself off and get back in the saddle,” he said. “It’s an old adage used a lot in classic rock and we wanted to do our interpretation of it.”

One intriguing concept dropped in amongst those “let ‘em go”s is innocence. 

“Letting go of innocence for me is acceptance,” Rory explained. “Knowing the world’s a mess, but being comfortable existing in it and finding fulfillment where we can. Not being defeated by the loss of innocence.” 

The soulful, shimmery instrumental “Midnight” is an interlude, almost a moment of rest, between the heavy, beefy tracks that come before and after.

“This was a later addition to the album prior to sending the finals off to Argonauta,” Rory said. “Danny had this really cool piece that gave some breathing room between the two halves of the album, and we are really glad we put it in. Ties it all together nicely, we think. It’s an ode to those beautiful instrumental guitar pieces of the boss, Tony Iommi.”

“Shooting Star” is a metaphor for hope, “that thing in life that gives us meaning and purpose, trying to grab hold of it and run with it as far as you can,” Rory said.

“Some of us are lucky to find that thing, whatever it is. So if you do, be grateful and give it everything you’ve got,” he added. 

In an album full of strong tracks, “Headfirst” stands out for its moods, its sonic changes, the psychedelic quality of the verses, and the prominence of Rory’s bass. It’s his favorite, too.

“(It’s) definitely the most dynamic track in terms of its range; it covers a lot of ground,” he said. Probably my favourite track to play with all the fun bass parts, but (it’s) also one of the harder ones to pull off live due to the vocals having a few different styles in the same song.” 

Lyrically, it’s saying to stop being a slave to time, to the grind, and “run headfirst into the unknown,” to take that chance, whatever it is. 

“It’s easy to submit to things – being resilient is much harder,” Rory said. “I think it was a Nick Cave interview I saw where he said about hope being a warrior emotion. It’s the opposite of submission.”

There’s a wonderfully reflective line in the song: “A gift to see ourselves/As others do.” It has its roots in the words of Scotland’s greatest poet, Rory said.

“(It’s) a spin on the Robbie Burns poem, ‘To a Louse’ – ‘O wad some power the giftie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us,’” he said. “It’s saying recognise the value in yourself – the value that others see, but is sometimes hard to see in ourselves. 

“The Scottish have a knack for excessive humility, which can lead to being too hard on yourself or harshly self deprecating. While this can be a great source of humour, it’s sometimes a fine line between funny and sad,” he admitted. 

The spoken-word section in the bridge veers between resignation – “If this is all there is, then that’s enough for me” – and optimism – “if there’s more, then let’s go find.”

“I think we sit on the ‘if there’s more, then let’s go find’ side,” Rory said of the band. “It speaks of the exploration which is hard wired into the human spirit. We always thirst for more.”

The closer, “O.G.,” is the most experimental track, stretching out, taking its time to meander and expand – or as Rory says, “it’s confident and stands its ground.”

“That energy it has is partly why it is the last track,” he said.

And its title does stand for the obvious, especially the “O” for “Original.”

“It was the first in this batch of songs and the spark that the others came from,” he said. “Some of these songs have been in the works for a long time, ‘O.G.’ and ‘Altitude’ in particular. They were riffs we would jam out and always enjoy, knowing they would one day become full songs, but we never felt ready for them. 

“It was always called ‘O.G.’ and it just didn’t feel right calling it anything else,” he said. 

It’s a trippy exploration through either madness, frustration, or overwork, or maybe all of those things.

“I think your description is pretty accurate,” he said. “It resolves with resilience at the end of the second verse with ‘Ripping, nerves of steel,’ like accepting struggle but then saying, it’s all good, we’ll get through it, rather than rolling over and giving up. 

“The whole album has that message running through it. ‘O.G.’ is the bookend, riding off into the sunset with the slide guitar, contented and feeling like everything has come round full circle,” he added. 

Scotland might not be the first place to come to mind when you think about metal, but there are strong scenes in major cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh, Rory said.

“There’s quite a good mix of genres,” he said. “Dundee’s scene is smaller obviously since it’s a smaller city, but it holds its own. People from different scenes will travel to the other cities. They’re supportive of one another and there’s not a lot of niche-y stuff between different genres.”  

And the British Isles is where they’ll be focusing their touring efforts in the remainder of 2025 and into the New Year.

“We are currently doing a run of Scottish dates leading the year out and are working on a tour around England next year – it’s coming together nicely and will all be announced soon,” Rory said. “Aiming to play new places and reach a new audience.” 

By 2027, they hope to get to mainland Europe.

“A band at this level, everything costs money, and if we break even we are doing well,” he said. “So a trip to Europe needs a bit of time and finances to organise. 

“Our recent signing to Argonauta means we have a more direct connection with bands and promoters on the continent. So I’ll be tapping those shoulders and trying to get something organised for us,” he added.