Premiere: Solsta and PROJECT BEXX reunite for a second collaboration, Fragments

The past year or two have been brilliant for West Australian dance music's next generation, with an exciting mix of newcomers seemingly emerging out of nowhere on a near-monthly basis. Last year, one of those newcomers was BEXX - now known as PROJECT BEXX - who after a few years of blossoming as a late-night DJ go-to pivoted to production with a debut collection of tracks. In 2021, one of our favourite ones-to-watch was Geraldton-born, Perth-based producer Solsta, who six months ago, linked up with BEXX for an introduction titled Together.

"I like to think of my music as being an outlet for people," Solsta introduced the project with its then-latest single. "I love to build these huge, lush landscapes of sound with reverb-drenched guitars, phat distorted basses, deep drums and rich pads that create a story that's constantly pushing forward." It's a sound that was showcased brilliantly on Together, which seemingly opened an exciting new chapter for a producer we'd be seeing a lot more of throughout the year ahead: "I'm working on generating some buzz around this project," he said.

Now, the pair reconnect in the form of their second single together titled Fragments, which premieres on Pilerats today ahead of its official release tomorrow, October 8th. Fragments picks up where Together left off, furthering that dynamic, house/tech-inspired sound as driving rhythms come together with BEXX's joining vocal, which gives the song this slight pop edge similar to what you'd expect from someone like RUFUS DU SOL at their darkest. Fragments goes a little beyond what we've heard already, however, extending Solsta's sound and showing a sense of multi-facetedness as his production discography grows.

"Fragments was one of those tracks that I feel artists dream of. When you’re in that moment and the entire song just flows into existence," he says on the single. "Finishing this track was so satisfying, being able to sit back and be so proud of your own work is a rare thing as a musician. You’re always a perfectionist. You can always change something. Fragments is different. It was something I could really appreciate in the moment."

As he continues to explain, you get the sense that Fragments was a defining single for Solsta, opening the doors to the creation of an eventual full-length EP titled Depth, expected later on via Lab Six Records. "Fragments is a defining sound for the Solsta project. It’s the lead single of my upcoming debut EP and I think it really encapsulates the direction of my sound," he explains. "Writing this led me to the decision that I needed to make a statement. Show the world what Solsta is going to be. The track is the driving force behind the EP and the inspiration for its creation."

It's clear that there's a lot of excitement in camp Solsta, and with Fragments' arrival showing another notch in Solsta's production belt, it's clear that the excitement isn't founded on nothing. We'll see more as the arrival of his Depth EP grows closer, but in the meantime, take a listen to Fragments below and pre-save it here.

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