Solar Cells

Commemorating 50 cycles around the sun!
Help me press the next Solar Cells album to vinyl!

This campaign acts as an official album preorder!

GOALS

1. $2000 would cover 50% of vinyl manufacturing fee for 150 LPs and equate to 44 people pre ordering the LP. A brilliant step towards making this happen.
   
   
2. $4000 would cover 100% of vinyl manufacturing fee for 150 LPs and equate to 88 people preordering the LP. Totally making this happen!
   
   
3. Anything above that will go towards the costs of mixing, mastering, artwork and design for the LP. Feeling the warmth of support from friends & community absolutely made this happen! You can pledge without needing to get an LP :)
   
   
4. And then? Release album, book shows, head off on tour... Success!!! Deepest thanks and overwhelming waves of gratitude... Eternally grateful for the support!!!
   
   
   
   

  

I am currently putting the finishing touches on the new Solar Cells album - final edits & overdubs, and confirming track names and running order. Once complete, internationally renown mix engineer Casey Rice will mix the album to the highest standard possible and then master for vinyl and digital release. This project was made for vinyl!

Expect a few cosmic bangers and textural deep dives...

                                                                                      Video by Yunis

The music on this new album reflects a long time love for early to mid 70s searching synthesiser music. Basically, any music made using early sythesisers, mostly from the early to mid 1970s, and predominately out of Germany, though not exclusively.

This new album is the follow up to the debut Solar Cells album, Warm Spell (pictured below). Warm Spell garnered strong support locally and found its way on RRR's reveared Sound Scape album list in February 2025, a tour with Australian indie icons Underground Lovers, a launch with jazz legend Tamil Rogeon and supports with Meredith festival favourites Brown Spirits and Simona Castricum.

The new album is a focussed response to the strongest elements of Warm Spell. A crafted album for lovers of classic 70s synthesiser music with a firm aesthetic nod to some of the most revered and inspired albums of the era. 

Following on from the design theme of Warm Spell, renowned photographic artist Ali McCann will create new photographic collage artwork for the cover. Expect something very delicious...!!!

        Warm Spell cover art 2024 by Ali McCann

                                                                                Click here to stream Warm Spell 

The overall design will be filtered through the impecably detailed and considered lens of Nathan Hollywood. 

Nath created the beautiful hand designed font and layout on the now sold out Warm Spell CD below:  

2026 is a big year for me personally and I can think of no other way to celebrate than to comit this new music to vinyl, and then throw a big launch party with pals and supporters to hear it live. 

If you've seen Solar Cells live then you know it is a deep trip. 

That trip will only get deeper...hipper...and more radical as the year progresses.
 
*This campaign acts as an official album preorder!

Production Timeline

March 2026    - Pozible campaign ends in early April and if it is successful, then the project moves ahead withouut obstacles:

April 2026       - Artwork and design elements completed 

May 2026        - Mix sessions 

June 2026        - Final master

July 2026         - Files submitted for vinyl LP manufacturing in Melbourne (Approx 2 month turn around)
Sep 2026         - Vinyl LP manufacturing complete

Oct 2026         - 2027 launch plans locked in

Nov 2026         - Solar Cells album 2 will be released.....& then shows...bookings....tours....!!

Video by Ben Murphy

BUDGET

The below chart shows a rough breakdown of project costs. This campaign’s primary goal is to cover upfront manufacturing with any additional support helping offset creative and production fees needed to bring the project to life.

As an overview, this is what the project production will cost:

Vinyl pressing - 150 LPs $4000 - Primary goal is to cover at least half of this cost!

then...going higher helps support:

LP Mixing - 7 songs @500 per day $3500 approx
LP Mastering - $800 TBC
Design $500 TBC
Layout $300 TBC

If you pledge support for Solar Cells album 2 (name TBC), then you also get something back!

If 44 people pledge $45 each, then I reach my first goal of $2000 and the project moves ahead for 2026. And 44 people will recieve a copy of the LP.

If 88 people pledge $45 each, then I will reach my second tier target and 80 people get the new LP.

If the campaign goes higher, then I will be able to cover more of the upfront costs which means I will have more resources to support the many other costs of seeing this project through to its full potential!

First Solar Cells show - Video by Elizabeth Watt

Releasing an album at anytime is a costly prospect, but pressing on vinyl is another level of risk and expense. 

This Pozible campaign, if successful, will help bring this project to life by reducing some of my upfront expenses and allow the 50th cycle to resolve itself, fill the battery and transform into future creative opportunities...