Within the first two years of their existence, SoftSun – a project featuring Yawning Man’s Gary Arce and Superlynx’s Pia Isaksen – released two absolutely top notch albums. Both ‘Daylight In The Dark’ (2024) and ‘Eternal Sunrise’ (2025) shared a near perfect blend of deep psych and desert rock, with Arce’s atmospheric riffs proving a perfect match for Pia’s ethereal vocal style. No doubt about it: these records showcased one of the greatest bands to emerge on the desert rock/stoner scene for quite some time.

The trio of tracks that make up the SoftSun portion of this split with Ten East were actually recorded during the sessions for ‘Daylight’, so they present the band in more of their embryonic state. They should not, however, be dismissed as leftovers, since all three are pretty much as strong as the material that was chosen for the debut itself.

‘Nowhere Else’ kicks off with a brief burst of droning keys which, within just two seconds, sets a trippy mood in place. Atop a very slow groove, Arce immediately throws out a world of atmospheric guitar sounds, with his slightly distorted tones tapping into a great contemporary psych sound, yet clinging on to a measured and bluesy approach that’ll more than appeal to the stoner crowd. A perfect fit for the hazy music, Pia’s heavily treated voice also leans into the heavily psychedelic, and the way the effects mask half of her lyrics makes the performance even more otherworldly. With everything ending up sounding like Yawning Man with the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser guesting on vocals, this is arguably one of the band’s more out there pieces, but with the floatier aspects firmly anchored by a very measured bassline and a live sounding drum part, it retains a strong stoner rock core that makes it very accessible. If you’re somehow approaching this without any prior knowledge of SoftSun, these seven minutes are set to make you a fan.

In some ways, ‘Open Shelter’ presents something in a similar mood, but a more prominent lead guitar – initially presenting a slow riff with a huge ringing sound – and a descent into a slower, chunkier riff where you might expect a more traditional band to share a chorus, help this to feel different enough to ensure SoftSun aren’t merely repeating themselves. The slower tempo actually allows Pia more room to stretch out, and her ghost-like vocals are definitely the highlight of this piece, even if the lyrics aren’t really clear, but kudos must also be given to her bass work which throbs against the layered guitar lines with a real presence, adding long, distorted notes and very deep tones that offer a brilliant contrast to many of SoftSun’s psych-y flourishes. For those familiar with ‘Daylight In The Dark’, this is unlikely to present anything that feels especially new, but it sounds great, and especially so during the latter part of the extended jam when Arce gets an opportunity to drop into a couple of great solos that provide a strong link with his Yawning Man/Yawning Balch recordings.

The (very slightly) shorter ‘Emotional Overdrive’ takes time to change the mood a little more obviously. Drummer Dan Joeright sets a steady rhythm in place from the beginning, dictating a very slow groove that never changes. This allows Pia to drop in some very measured bass notes which further accentuate a slightly leaden tempo. Not that the final result sounds in any way sluggish: Arce tops everything with an arc of distorted guitar that leans a little further into shoegaze, and the way he shapes the wall of sound into a great melody very much carries the piece. As you might expect when faced with something a little weightier, the vocals take on more of a goth influence, but Isaksen’s deeper tones are a great fit with the music when required. More so than before, though, this is a piece that relies on its instrumental prowess, and throughout the number, Arce weaves a riff that captures an almost hypnotic quality that fans will love.

Those three tracks make SoftSun a tough act to follow, but Ten East are more than a worthy companion here – and with good reason: the band reunites Gary and Pia, and along with Yawning Man/Balch drummer Bill Stinson and Earthless guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, they make a formidable unit, a band capable of serving up some particularly fine psych/stoner/desert oriented sounds.

To start their musical journey, Ten East open with the ten minute and rather epic ‘First Light’, which Arce chooses to kick off with a huge, ringing guitar that provides further continuity with the SoftSun material. His tones ebb and flow very naturally, and even though they threaten to become the dominant force here, Pia’s solid bassline – setting a waltz-like time signature in place – soon begins to take on just as much of a presence. The melodies they weave can feel rather repetitive, but if you’re really big on desert rock sounds, you certainly won’t find this much of an issue, and with Stinson on hand to break things up with a few busy fills along the way, a performance that could’ve felt a little drawn out actually passes surprisingly quickly, with the best bits of the track playing like a more focused Yawning Balch. It could be argued that this didn’t need a world of backmasked noises to arrive during the extended coda, as this definitely derails a great mood, but it’s a minor point when the core of the recording is so good.

In a very different style, ‘Slow Motion War’ pushes Stinson’s drumming to the fore, arguably giving the number a little more punch, and a few cleaner guitar sounds also make everything feel a touch more accessible. In the main, though, the core of the track presents these musicians doing what they do best, with Arce filling space with floaty guitar sounds that could’ve been pulled straight from Yawning Balch’s ‘Volume Three’, Pia sharing a unfussy but perfect bass groove, and a second guitar from Earthless man Mitchell fattening the sound if and when required. Despite the comfort blanket approach, close listens will uncover some great moments: particularly the wavering guitar interplay leading up to the five minute mark, and the bluesy leads that creep through at around eight minutes. These sound great, even if they’re actually half buried in the end mix. Mention must be made of Isaksen’s bass sound here, too; even though her chosen riff rarely shifts from its original intent, the tone and the way she locks into Stinson’s drum part make her the strongest part of a terrific rhythm section. Much like SoftSun’s ‘Open Shelter’, this track won’t give Arce’s loyal supporters any big surprises, but it has all the makings of becoming a firm favourite within the Yawning Man fan base and even in the wider stoner/desert rock community.

The SoftSun material makes this split an essential purchase, but there’s nothing shabby about the Ten East recordings, and between them, the bands make a superb pairing. If you’re a fan of the rather prolific Gary Arce or Pia Isaksen’s work, you know you want this. If you’re keen on stoner and contemporary psych sounds but still haven’t chanced upon SoftSun, you’ll also want this – rest assured, you won’t be disappointed. Split releases have a great track record for serving up something interesting, but this is one of the very best.

March 2026