After serving up The Vices this summer, Bryson Tiller ushers in autumn with Solace, the second installment of his double album Solace & The Vices.
The featureless, 12-track set takes a more introspective tone compared to its predecessor. Opening with “Strife,” Tiller sings about how therapy has helped him grow and confront his shortcomings in a relationship: “No more 2 a.m. disappearing, that’s embarrassing / What else is embarrassing? More than one affair / Moving careless, no awareness.”
“Workaholic,” produced by Charlie Heat and Kyrou, captures Tiller’s nuanced reflection on uncertain times in his career, particularly around his sophomore era (True to Self), when he was “scared of going broke in 2018” and feared being a one-hit-wonder: “Scared of my thoughts / Lookin’ at my plaques like damn / I guess I’m one and done.” Those doubts fueled him to go harder, which created some hiccups in a relationship (“But you say I work too much”).
“I Need Her,” another standout produced by Charlie Heat, recalls a feel-good jam from the ’90s with pleading, hyperbolic lyrics like “I need her like the songs on my playlist.”
Speaking on Solace & The Vices, Tiller shared, “It started with Solace. I just wanted to express what I was feeling to see if it would help me get [through] it. And then I got tired of talking about my feelings [and] got tired of drinking and smoking, so I decided to have some fun on a separate project, shifted my focus and boom, double album spawned.”
Tiller released The Vices on Aug. 8, via Trapsoul/RCA Records. The first installment leans into Slim Tiller’s rap side, with features from Bun B, Rick Ross, T-Pain, BossMan Dlow, Baby Drill and Luh Tyler.
“With The Vices, I decided to get rid of my Vices completely and prove to myself that I didn’t need Weed, Alcohol, and all the other shenanigans to have FUN. I’ve been sober ever since,” Tiller shared in an Instagram post.
Solace, which was released Thursday (Oct. 2), shares the same release date as his groundbreaking debut album, T R A P S O U L, which included his 15x platinum hit “Don’t,” and 2020’s A N N I V E R S A RY.
Solace & The Vices follows Tiller’s 2024 self-titled album, which included bops like “Whatever She Wants,” “Outside,” “Calypso” and “Caio!”
Stream Bryson Tiller’s Solace & The Vices below.
