Con Piliouras – Almost Yesterday (2026)
This morning, after enjoying a duet by Carlos Santana and Sadao Watanabe, one of my family members said, “Sometimes all you need is an instrumental”; I have to agree. Just as vocals and lyricism capture raw emotion, there is something about instrumentals that slithers into your soul, grabs the core of emotion, and leaves you lost in the music. It’s the point where only instruments make sense, not words. This by no means places lyrics at a lower level; just, like my family member said, “sometimes all you need is an instrumental.” After enjoying the Watanabe/Santana track, I find myself turning on my headphones to listen to another instrumentalist: Con Piliouras.
While Piliouras has established himself as a force with his distinctive brand of neo-contemporary classical music, we were only introduced to him earlier this year with ‘The Letter I Never Wrote’. Composed, recorded and produced by the South Australia-based musician, Piliouras shares his new track, ‘Almost Yesterday’ – another melodic adventure where the arrangement bridges the gap between classical and contemporary sounds with a wash of passionate, pure emotion. For me, however, the new single seems to be a bolder, more full-bodied composition, brimming with orchestral rhythms and a more cinematic soundscape.
Almost like a soundtrack for one of those epic films, ‘Almost Yesterday’ opens with a simplistic brush of an acoustic guitar, a steady piano, and an oboe at the forefront. Embracing a sense of vulnerability, you begin the adventure with delicate whispers and feel the tremulous fragility of the film’s characters; then, about midway, the piano takes a bolder stance. Supported by the string quartet and underlying percussion, the flute quickly steps in to up the tempo of your wandering in the soundscape.
The melody continues, and an eerie vibe stems from violins, almost like coming across the overwhelming challenge faced in the film. It’s not overly intense, but within the swell of instruments there is a wave of emotion to chill, tingle, and leave you with a sense of dread. The moment passes, and you step out, leaving behind the adventure in a delicate, soothing sigh of relief.
‘Almost Yesterday’ is set for release on August 7th.
Find out more about Con Piliouras on his Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more classical music on The Other Side Reviews Classical playlist:
