SoftSun & Ten East Expand the Horizon on Turned To Stone: Chapter 10
Some records arrive like a statement. Others unfold like a landscape. Turned To Stone: Chapter 10 Ten East/SoftSun, released April 4, 2026, belongs firmly to the second category, a slow-burning, immersive journey where sound moves like heat across desert air.
At the heart of SoftSun is Gary Arce, a defining figure of the Californian desert rock scene through his work with Yawning Man, joined by Norwegian musician Pia Isaksen. Together, they shape a project that leans away from traditional song structures and instead builds its identity through texture, space, and gradual movement.
With this release, SoftSun contribute to the tenth installment of the Turned To Stone series from Ripple Music, a collection known for pairing artists who share a similar sonic language. Here, the collaboration with Ten East feels especially fluid. Rather than two distinct halves, the album dissolves the boundary between the projects, creating a unified listening experience.
On the SoftSun side, tracks like Nowhere Else, Open Shelter, and Emotional Overdrive establish a slow, contemplative atmosphere. Gary Arce’s guitar work stretches into warm, hypnotic layers, less about riffs and more about tone and resonance. Pia Isaksen’s voice does not dominate the compositions but drifts within them, acting as an additional texture that deepens the immersive quality of the sound.
There is a sense of freedom in these pieces. The music does not feel constructed in a rigid way but guided by intuition, unfolding naturally as if discovered rather than written. Time becomes elastic, and the listener is drawn into a space where progression matters less than presence.
The Ten East contribution continues this trajectory with First Light and Slow Motion War, leaning further into collective interplay and improvisation. These tracks feel like extended sessions where ideas circulate freely, each musician responding in real time to the evolving sound. The result is seamless. There is no clear division, only a continuous flow.
What defines this album most strongly is its ability to create immersion. It does not rely on hooks or immediate impact. Instead, it builds gradually, like a horizon slowly revealing itself. The experience is almost cinematic, not in a dramatic sense, but in the way it captures atmosphere and movement over time.
There is also an interesting duality at play. The warmth of American desert rock is ever-present, carried by the guitars and open sonic space, yet it is balanced by a subtle melancholy that feels more introspective, almost European in tone. This contrast gives the album emotional depth without ever becoming heavy-handed.
As a whole, Turned To Stone: Chapter 10 Ten East/SoftSun feels less like a split release and more like a shared exploration. It is a continuous sonic passage, where each piece feeds into the next, creating a cohesive and meditative experience.
This is not an album designed for quick consumption. It asks for time, attention, and patience. In return, it offers a space to inhabit, a slow and controlled drift through sound and texture.
A record to be experienced in one sitting, like watching a landscape pass by without interruption, where the journey itself becomes the destination.
© Thusblog
