Photo: Leeya Rose Jackson

Dex Wolfe has revealed details of his first solo release under his own name. The Minnesota songwriter and producer will release his debut EP, Lightness, on October 23rd. While Wolfe hasn’t released any solo music, he has been active in the Minneapolis music scene for over a decade now as a bandmate, engineer and sideman.
In the works for three years, the upcoming Lightness EP saw Wolfe revisit some of the songs he’d written in the past while also crafting new compositions. Initiated by darker times, and mirrorring the state of the world today, the EP is also something to celebrate, being described as “a tenebrous maze that exits into a graceful clearing”. The EP title is inspired by the cycles of light and dark, and as Wolfe explained, it refers to the “process of being in a dark part of the cycle, but being rebirthed in light like we are every day.” Featuring four tracks, Lightness is an impressive showcase of his songwriting and multi-instrumental talents, drawing from post rock, jazz, and folk music. Ahead of the EP release, we can already hear the gorgeous and compelling first single ‘Lightning’. He commented on the song:

“I wrote Lightning while sitting on a bridge in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I was awestruck by a massive golden lightning storm that intricately painted the entire horizon in the distance. As I sat in the light drizzle, I watched tens of passers-by walk with their faces angled downwards toward their phones, paying this incredible beauty of nature no mind or reverence. The juxtaposition of these two events felt so acute, as if being offered up as an archetype of western civilization in the 21st century.”

Take a listen to ‘Lightning’ below.