“Soft Play? More like Soft C****.”
Charming.
After a five year hiatus and a name change, the duo formerly known as Slaves are back, with their first new long-player since 2018’s Acts Of Fear And Love, a record upon which they sounded like they were running on fumes, especially compared to the sharpness of 2012’s debut Sugar Coated Bitter Truth.
However, it’s fair to say that the new Soft Play have not been universally accepted, judging by the lyrics of last year’s comeback single Punk’s Dead (track two on here), the strength of the comments showing disappointment in the name change raged through so hard on social media (example being the above opening line), that they were able to extract them straight from there and turn them into an anthem celebrating their own return, whilst laughing at the authors.
So, they do have a bit to prove to some then it would seem. However, it does not appear to overly concern them.
Having just played a sensational Glastonbury set to thousands, as well as supporting their new BFF, Robbie Williams, at Hyde Park, their absence has certainly made their fanbase hearts’ grow fonder, the phrase long-awaited doesn’t quite do justice for the need for this. That seems to be the viewpoint of the duo themselves too, it feels like they needed each other back in their lives and expressing themselves through their noise.
And they’re not hanging round either, no magnum opus coming up here, we’re gonna be all done in less than half an hour.
Starting with a unexpected choir version of the bright and beautiful school hymn, they kick straight into the more recognisable thrash of All Things, followed by the aforementioned single, complete with its RW guest vocal which really is a perfect riposte to their idiot critics.
Act Violently and Bin Juice Disaster bring to be mind the pure fury and energy of their debut, the rest seeming to have reinvigorated their collective mojos. It’s always comes as a surprise just what a racket that these two people can make but it’s not just noise for the sake of it, there’s a variety in each song, they come across as individual short tales, showing they have lost none of there flare for eloquent story-telling skills, with a panache for the humorous one-liner.
“Do you wanna hear a joke about procastination, I ain’t got round to writing it yet.”
There seems to be some online controversy about recent single Mirror Muscles, where it has been mentioned that it maybe a little too on the nose and attracting a different crowd thinking that they are celebrating not mocking the gym attending community, about this they say “We love to work out. We frequent the local gymnasium. These are some thoughts we had while we were there”. So you decide.
There’s no dip in energy throughout, no chance to get your breath back, it’s relentless, even when the beat slows on Working Title it just gets heavier instead.
Closing track and recent single Everything And Nothing is the outlier here, it has been rightly lauded for the it’s almost majestic difference in tone, using mandolins and heart wrenching lyrics to externalise what they’ve been through in the time they’ve been away, and it’s undoubtedly the highlight.
It may remain a one-off or it could be a clue to what’s coming next for Soft Play, it feels potentially like one noisy door closing.
Whatever’s next only they know, but it’s good to have them back and sounding like only they can. Let them entertain you.
