21-year-old Steven Solace has been weaving his way into the local music scene through his witty humor and heartfelt lo-fi tracks. He began his sonic journey in Medford, where he grew up, skateboarding in his free time. That’s where he started a high school band with his friends, which ended up quickly dissolving. Later on, he moved to Portland and founded his solo project, aptly named “Steven Shoelace.”
He came to the interview at a local cafe, Honey Latte, with two shirts for his project in hand and a smile on his face. He met me at a table, sat down and got into it.
Talking about music, Solace is very calm and collected.
“It started during COVID, I was really lonely, and it was the ‘isolation time.’ It was more of a ‘I want to see if I can do this’ kind of thing, and then it became ‘This is how I feel.’”
Solace paused and leaned back in his seat. He then went on to talk about how he landed on the name “Steven Shoelace.”
“I used to skate a lot, and I used to get bullied because I’d always be tying my shoes,” he said. “That’s how that came about.”
When asked if he was bothered by the teasing he stood his ground, he said, “It’s more of an embracing thing.”
Solace was involved with an EP by memory card, another small artist coming up on SoundCloud. The self-titled record memory card came out in mid-2022.
He was offered to do vocals on a song called “student film,” but those didn’t make the cut. Later memory card, whose non-artist name is Henry, reached out to him about a different track, “black metal ending.”
“He was like ‘I still want you on the album,’ so I was like I can play drums really fast and loud, and Henry was like ‘Yeah! Let’s do it!’” Solace said.
On the topic of collaboration, his friends’ successes also influence his music and career.
“Everyone’s so sick, that’s really what pushes me around,” Solace said. “It’s like a pinball machine. My friends are doing good, I’m gonna do good. My friends are doing good, and I just gotta keep hitting it back.”
On the topic of bands and genres, Solace is impossible to pinpoint. One of the first things you learn when you listen to his work is that he’s seemingly uncategorizable, which he recognizes himself.
“I don’t know,” said Solace about what genre he considered himself. “Maybe post-punk? I’m not sure, that’s a big question.”
Influenced by everything from Will Toledo and Elliott Smith to his friends’ bands Old Star, Blood Estate and Fairies In Our House, Solace has forged a unique sound. With tracks like “bugs life” that feel like a racing night out with your friends, drums hitting like footsteps running on pavement, Solace shows he can make upbeat, energetic songs that you can almost feel physically, but he also shows that he knows how to slow it down. “speed racer” is a sorrow ridden, acoustic track with slow drums, achy vocals and a tremolo filled backing guitar. Solace also recently put out a record in October, Garden Snakes, that shows off the aforementioned influences.
Solace has been working his way into the scene for awhile now, but his journey didn’t start there.
“There’s the online scene, and the Portland scene,” Solace said. “I wouldn’t say I’m too into the Portland scene quite yet. I’m still rebuilding the band, and I write new songs every day.”
He has raised quite the following on Instagram. His account currently has over 2000 followers. He posts frequently about new music, his love for MountainDew and video projects.
If you’re interested in Solace’s work, you can catch his band Screenshot’s next gig on Dec. 7. All of the information for the show is plugged in their Instagram account @screenshot_pdx. If you’re looking for a new rising artist, you should definitely keep him on your radar.
