New Music: Soft No – Oxford Street

Philadelphia’s Soft No pack a whole lot of musical goodness into Oxford Street, a taster for their Super Neutral EP.

Even the name of the EP – lead vocalist Allison Lannutti says it is derived from keeping the peace with family members around holidays in this politically charged climate – is loaded with meaning and possible misconceptions, also tying into how the band approached the EP.

They approached the EP in a collaborative manner and also decided to push the melody of Oxford Street and other tracks on the EP in an up-tempo direction. It gets the band to a musical sweet spot: it’s not heavygaze, post-hardcore, or indie rock, but you can hear those genres in the song’s DNA, making for a buzzy, fuzzy listening experience.

And as much as the band’s music has moved in a harder, faster, and louder direction, they still allow space for the vocals and lyrics to pierce the veil of the arrangement. Oxford Street focuses on the song and the people who created it, promising great things for the EP.

States guitarist Scott Signorino, “If you listen to our last EP, which I love, it featured some of the first songs I wrote on guitar. The way it came out sounding wasn’t intentional. Since then, we toured, got to know each other better, and, to me, became influenced by the bands we played with.”

Lannutti pushed for the high-energy approach on Super Neutral. “I come from the shoegaze world, but I was restless with that and wanted to do something more fun and punky,” she reveals. Adds keyboard player Katherine Lowe, “I was worried the sound would change too much, but we figured out a way to keep those emotive instrumental passages and integrate ethereal sounds into the punky stuff.”

The vinyl edition of Super Neutral can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp and is set for release on the 29th of May via Abandon Everything Records. Connect with the band on Instagram for EP news as well as details of upcoming gigs, including one in August at New York’s Night Club 101.

Header photo by Cecilia Orlando