With Solaris set to arrive on September 25 via Pelagic Records, The Ocean have released an official guitar playthrough (through GearGods exclusively) for the album’s first single “Light Pollution”, featuring new guitarist Marco Gennaro performing every guitar part heard on the studio recording.
Rather than recreating the band’s live arrangement, Gennaro faithfully performs each guitar layer as it appears on the album: “I’m playing all the guitar parts of the song as they appear on the record and in disregard of who’s playing what live,” he explains.
The playthrough offers a detailed look at the composition behind one of Solaris’ most dynamic tracks. According to Gennaro, the song revolves around a progression built primarily from Em, Cm, Am, and Fm chords, weaving between crushing riffs and melodic lead passages.
“The first lead part is based on an E minor scale,” he says, “while the third and final solo contains some material from the E melodic minor scale. The second lead section, characterised by an octaver and reverb sound, is an arpeggio sequence that follows the chord progression, expanding each of them by adding various chord extensions such as the 9th and the 7th.”
A Baritone Built for Low Tunings
To capture the song’s massive low-end, Gennaro reaches for a Duesenberg Paloma Black Sparkle Baritone, tuned to Standard B (B-E-A-D-F#-B) and fitted with Duesenberg Custom 14-70 Baritone strings.
“The 22-inch scale length makes it perfect to tackle the low tuning,” he says. The instrument is equipped with a Grand Vintage Humbucker in the bridge position alongside Pearlito and Alnico Blade single coils, as well as Duesenberg’s Diamond Deluxe Tremola system and distinctive Pearloid Diamond fretboard inlays.
Inside the Rig
The core of Gennaro’s sound comes from a Neural DSP Quad Cortex, where he has built presets around a Peavey 6505 amplifier paired with a Zilla 4×12 cabinet simulation: “The preset chain also has a noise gate, an octaver, and an overdrive based on the Tube Screamer T808,” he explains. “After the cab simulation, I added a simple digital delay and a plate reverb.”
His pedalboard supplements the Quad Cortex with a TC Electronic PolyTune Mini, Digitech Whammy 5, Vox V847A Wah, and a Fulltone OCD v1.4, which he uses as a boost for lead tones: “I use the Fulltone OCD overdrive pedal to boost and have a clearer and more mix-cutting sound, especially for leads.”
Watch the full guitar playthrough below. Pre-orders for Solaris are available now.
