There’s a sadness that runs through the middle of the new song “Victoria’s Secret”. As a listener you feel sorry for this woman, she can’t be her true self. Many from society might think that the glamour, the money the red carpets are enough to make anyone happy and she needs to get over it, but singer and songwriter, Rohan Solomon knows better. And he knows his audience will too. “Victoria’s Secret”, told with superior songwriting a la Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Joni Mitchell or Harry Nilsson, might sound like a throwback early 00s’ pop rock at first, but peeling away the layers, this song is a modern wake up call.
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You don’t get me, Solomon sings from the perspective his song’s titular character. Like the Train song “Meet Virginia”, the listener is immediately swept away into creating an image in their mind of this person. As his story develops, and the song’s lyrics paint a vivid portrait of a model, who even has a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star, suffers from the same social anxieties us mere mortals do, the Vertical Horizon and Fuel-laden pop rock music bed transforms into a deeper emotional connection. Gripping and more fluid like a movie score, moments of “Victoria’s Secret” feel pretty. She has to be fancy, she has to be need, just another red carpet, thrown under her feet, Solomon sings, easily giving the listener an impression that he’s closing his eyes while in the recording booth. His focus is unmatched; his story undeterred.
Born in New Delhi, India, and now living in New York City, Solomon’s alt rock band background (he’s the former lead singer of Cyanide), is only hinted at when it comes to the guitar riffs in “Victoria’s Secret”. The song has a mellow acoustic guitar opening, then stretches into the electric, melodic guitar. From his rock songwriting, though, it’s clear he knows how to write a good, catchy hook. And she’s living in a circle that won’t let her break free, and all that she wants she says, I just want to be me, he sings in the earworm chorus. His natural cadence and presentation is modest and remarkably sharp. The listener wants to stay a little longer, yearning a bit more to hear his voice just a bit more.
This is Solomon’s second solo release of 2020. His “Keep Holding On”, tackles the feeling of isolation during the pandemic. Tone and vibe wise, it’s a brighter, poppier song. It’s also inspirational. I do think “Victoria’s Secret” is also inspiring, just in a way that requires more soul searching. “Victoria’s Secret” is the song you listen to on a rainy day, trying to take stock of what your goals are in life, looking more inward. Whatever praise Solomon receives on the horizon is more than warranted. I don’t think talent like his comes overnight; I think he’s put in the work and his voice, though not weathered, has been through much of the same emotional shortcomings as his Victoria.
Garth Thomas
The music of Rohan Solomon has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division. Learn more https://musikandfilm.com