On "Hello Cruel World", Sole aka Tim Holland returns with the Skyrider Band for his first full length since the split with Anticon, and his third album with the Skyrider Band. While much was made of Sole leaving the Anticon empire he helped create, there's a refreshing, new found confidence and focus not seen since his now-classic albums "Selling Live Water" and "Bottle of Humans". On "Hello Cruel World" sees Sole has assembled an army of the most exciting voices in indie culture to be apart of the new record, recruiting everyone from Lil B THEBASEDGOD, Xiu Xiu, Pictureplane, Sage Francis, Ceschi, and more, to create a pretty stunning tapestry that is a new high water mark in Sole's creative output.

Perhaps even more interesting, listeners will notice that Sole has adopted the most deliberate flow of his career--abandoning the freewheeling, hyper-timed assaults of his earlier work in favor of a biting clarity and all around accessibility. The record draws on the wealth of his newly found freedom, tapping into the positivity and ethics of a DIY tradition he has always known and embraced throughout his career - transforming his past cynicism into a call to arms and personal empowerment. The Skyrider Band itself has been similarly transformed; trading in their dense soundscapes and organic touchstones for an impeccable attention to detail and more studio-centric productions.

On Sole and the Skyrider Band's last record, "Plastique", Sole claimed, "I've been digging my grave since age 15." Since then, he's been hard at work converting his grave into trenches that span from California to Barcelona, and the bottom of the ocean to the moon. "Hello Cruel World" occupies these trenches, steadfastly refusing to be flushed into a niche.

The album drops July 19th on CD, double vinyl, and digital on Equinox Records / Fake Four Inc.

About Sole And The Skyrider Band

Sole, aka Tim Holland, put out his first vinyl at age 16. Since then he has been at the forefront of independent rap. In '98 he launched the label anticon and helped spearhead a genre of alternative hip-hop. Sole’s first two official albums Bottle of Humans and Selling Live Water solidified his status as indie rap trendsetter and achieved critical success in magazines like Playboy, Spin, Rolling Stone, etc. In 2003 sole moved to Barcelona and spent two years touring his motherland and recorded his 2005 album Live From Rome.

Sole is one of the most prolific artists amongst his peers. Aside form his official studio albums, sole has released a slew of self-produced albums on his own imprint, Black Canyon. The mansbestfriend series is sole’s take on experimental electronic music. To date, sole has released 5 mansbestfriend records and the project has achieved cult status. As of late, sole has received a lot of attention for his Nuclear Winterseries, where he applies the Situationist method of detournement to make political statements out of mainstream rap songs.

Upon returning to the states, sole established a new project called “sole and the Skyrider band,” with Florida natives “Skyrider” to experiment with a post rock hip-hop aesthetic. They toured the globe relentlessly from 06-09. In late 09 the band relocated to Denver Colorado, laid low, and re-emerged with an entirely new sound and approach. Hello Cruel World is a document of what pop rap music can and should be. Or as Prefix Magazine recently noted, “This album could mark a turning point for the band.”

Recent Press

“Sole and the skyrider band prepare “mammoth of am album””
XLR8R Magazine

"sole finds new life in Cruel World"
CMJ

"Sole is making a concerted effort to tailor his sound to the audience a bit more, and it’s a brilliant concession. Love him or hate him he’s at the root of indie hip hop."
Mishka Bloglin

“Tim Holland has left Anticon. This is where he is now and it's worth joining him.”
4 of 5 - 24/7 Magazine UK

Recent press updates right here:
http://soleone.org/component/content/article/5-blog/53-recent-press

Links

http://www.soleone.org
http://www.facebook.com/soleandtheskyriderband
http://www.facebook.com/bigsole
http://www.twitter.com/mcsole
http://thesolereader.com/
http://facebook.com/equinoxrecords
www.equinoxrecords.com
http://www.fakefourinc.com