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yttriphie — Solipsis
(Projekt No #, 2026, DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-05-22

Solipsis Cover art

In the 1990s there was a superb dream-pop/shoegaze act called Soulwhirlingsomewhere (or Soul Whirling Somewhere if you prefer), they released around five albums and ceased activity shortly after the turn of the century, followed by a compilation in 2004; Throughout that time, the only permanent member was singer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Plaster. In the years following that, Plaster worked with various other groups, including Black Tape For A Blue Girl. Around 2016 Plaster began releasing material under the moniker yttriphie, this time a softer, more ambient approach with no vocals; at first he released a series of single tracks (some as long as fifteen minutes), but in 2025 released a full album of material titled An Extreme Slow Motion Explosion, which we covered here in Exposé. Solopsis is the follow-up album, with eight titles that show a considerable amount of growth and development over the debut. On the first spin, listeners will find a newfound incorporation of far more percussive elements, although the predominant style remains a shimmering, floating ambient sound much like the previous effort. Following the short opener “Anfov,” one of the album’s centerpieces arrives in the thirteen-minute “Paddock of Skies,” a sprawling and powerful epic of dreamy ambient force that begins to include some of that percussion during its second half, along with some most interesting textures, many layers deep as it progresses toward its conclusion, engulfing the listener. Beginning with a repetitive keyboard figure, “The Pulpy Center” wastes no time finding new sounds as well as interesting dynamic shifts that incorporate some beautiful melodic bell sounds and blasts of synth juxtaposed with mysterious percussion as the piece slowly works its way toward a ten-minute conclusion. The closer “Underplump” is another epic length piece that wanders in very slowly like fog in the morning, slowly taking shape over its duration into circular melodic constructs that shimmer and glisten, marking milestones that seem like the roadmap to a dream sequence. I would be remiss not to mention one of the shorter (eight minute) cuts “A Narrow Field of View” that incorporates a catchy repeating melodic figure accompanied by a drum kit, which quickly adds density, then turns a corner into more spacy realms. There’s plenty more here on Solopsis that should be of interest to adventurous listeners.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): yttriphie

More info
http://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/solipsis

 

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