Soft Science has today premiered their new video for the track titled ‘Kerosene’ dropping Friday, from their upcoming album ‘Lines’, releasing September 8th via Shelflife (North and South America), Spinout Nuggets (UK/Europe), and Fastcut Records(Asia).
With an almost reverent way musically about it overall and a slight nostalgic turn, above all of that, we get an original sounding song from a band that obviously has a signature sound. The song simply floats within it’s space. The guitars have that unique grit and grim that demands a listen yet the almost soothing vocals give it a bookend effect that simply works.
‘Kerosene’ is about something we’ve all felt and been through. That certain something that makes us appear klingy yet shows that we are rapidly finding out what it means to us. We want to keep what and who we have. That moment between loving, losing, and longing on that balancing beam not wanting to fall out of the love we fell into.
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About Kerosene (song)
A while back we did a cover of House of Love’s iconic track “I Don’t Know What Love You” for a tribute compilation. To put our own spin on it Hans Munz, our electronics secret weapon, came up with these amazing arpeggiators that added a lot to our version and helped give our own spin to it. So when we were writing the music to Kerosene we were basically trying to come up with a cool template for Hans to again do something in that style and he didn’t disappoint. Then Katie came up with the laid-back melody on the verse, which perfectly draws you in and sets you up for the full-on dream blast of a chorus.
The lyrics on Kerosene in concept are about a relationship where you see someone you love drifting away or out of control, being fake, or making questionable decisions and you start becoming concerned. The concern is not only for them but for yourself because of what they mean to you. Because the more you care or love someone the more you expose yourself to the pain if and when things go wrong. The chorus is a type of plea to the person you love to step back and get perspective before it’s too late.
About Kerosene (video)
The video for Kerosene was made by Camcorder Cologne (Troy Lustick). We liked the idea of having something really abstract but with vivid colors for the song. There’s footage of us playing live mixed, blended, and overlayed with faces and other images that we think capture the mood and message of the song in an abstract way.
About Soft Science
Northern California-based quintet Soft Science is “deeply invested [and] honest in their approach to find something new” (The Chicagoist) while maintaining their pop sensibilities. Once described as having “the potential to become one of the great Left Coast power pop bands” (Popmatters), the band’s sonic evolution has led to an exploration of the noisier side of dream pop with glimmers of dark wave on their fourth LP, Lines (Shelflife Records – US | Spinout Nuggets – UK | Fastcut Records – Japan).
Soft Science began working on their recently completed album Lines in 2019, forging the record in their home studios together and at times in isolation from each other during the height of the pandemic, swapping tracks and making adjustments from a distance for what felt like an eternity. Reuniting in person to finalize the mix created a palpable excitement, an energy that can be felt throughout the record. Lines addresses living and loving within the complexities and challenges of everyday life in our fast-paced digital world.
Formed in 2009 by longtime collaborators Katie Haley (Holiday Flyer, California Oranges) and brothers Ross and Matt Levine (Welt, The Tank, California Oranges), the group was later joined by partners Tony and Becky Cale (English Singles, Arts & Leisure), and Hans Munz. With alluring vocals, two 12-string guitars, bass, drums, and synthesizers, the ensemble layers copious melodies, celestial harmonies, and propulsive rhythms with lush electronic soundscapes to create “a sound built to outlast trends” (Chicago Tribune). “It’s not often you hear dream pop that’s so devastatingly dynamic and driving” (The Big Takeover).
Previous Soft Science recordings include LPs Maps (2018), Detour (2013), and Highs and Lows (2011), a few singles, including a split 7″ with The Luxembourg Signal (2015), and covers of House of Love’s “I Don’t Know Why I Love You” and Northern Picture Library’s “Paris” (both 2018). Critical acclaim for their recordings led to invitations to perform at the New York Popfest, Paris Popfest, The Big Takeover’s 35th Anniversary show, a WFMU show opening for The Chills, KEXP live (2019) and Part-Time Punks sessions, plus additional festivals in the U.S. and Iberian Peninsula.
Soft Science are:
Katie Haley (she/her)- vocals
Ross Levine (he/him)- guitar, synths, backing vocals
Matt Levine (he/him) – guitar
Tony Cale (he/him) – drums, percussion
Becky Cale (she/her) – bass, backing vocals
Hans Munz (he/him) – electronics
Frontwoman Katie Haley on the impetus for the song ‘Zeros’: “Lyrically it was inspired by watching a couple of documentaries on technology such as The Social Dilemma. I used ‘zeros and ones’ as the key line in the chorus as it’s the foundational language of computers – commonly referred to as binary code. Zeros and ones kept floating around in my head, so in the verses I tapped into the commentary regarding the vast technology at our fingertips and how it’s changed the world and how human connection is also being altered; everything is easier to access – but deeper connection feels like it’s becoming harder to obtain.”
About the tune ‘Sadness’, guitarist/keyboardist Ross Levine added, “When writing the lyrics to ‘Sadness’, I was thinking of it as a kind of pep talk – everyone struggles and it can be easy to fall into a negative loop, something I’m really good at. When one is feeling down, that emotion can cloud everything; it’s about coming to that realization and trying to refocus on the positive: sometimes the glass is actually half full. However, it’s not meant to be judgmental. It’s just a reflection on the concept that sadness exists – it’s part of the human experience – but also to not beat yourself up for having those feelings and to remind yourself if you look for it, happiness can also be found.”
When asked about which part of the Lines adventure remained most memorable, fellow guitarist Matt Levine chose to focus on the positives that materialized during the album’s development: “Making a record takes a lot of effort and it’s easy to get lost in the process. When it was finally completed, it was hard to see the forest for the trees. We were expecting to again self-release on our own label, Test Pattern Records, but were over the moon when Shelflife, Spinout Nuggets, and Fastcut agreed to partner together to allow us our first truly worldwide release. I’m excited to get these songs out into the world and for the band to play as many shows as we can pull off in support of the album.”
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