Formed in Sacramento, CA in the wind down of indie pop act California Oranges, Soft Science released their first full-length CD in 2011. Twelve years later, the band’s fourth album Lines is freshly available on vinyl, CD, and digital through Shelflife Records of Portland, OR with some international help from Fastcut Records in Japan and Spinout Nuggets in the UK. The sound is a blend of gal-voiced dreampop and shoegaze, with ten tracks given the lush and large treatment. While the equation isn’t new, Soft Science have discovered a few pathways to success in a well-trodden field and throw in a few welcome twists along the way.
In “Low,” Soft Science opens Lines with bold dreampop sweep, a slow motion swirling glide that, when turned up loud, connects like it could envelop and carry the listener away. It’s something of a prelude and also a bookend with the record’s closing track “Polar,” as what’s between leans into the melodic side of the dreampop spectrum.
This is exactly the scenario with “Grip,” a catchy and breathy bit of ’80s action that’s fortified with sheets of shoegazing amp gush. Katie Haley hits a nice balance of pop urgency and the ethereal, a combo that extends to “Deceiver” as the tempo slows and the track is awash in echo, the barbed edges keeping the sweetness in check.
It’s the fast-moving “Sadness,” with its currents of indie pop, that gives Lines a beneficial boost of energy as Haley’s singing keeps the progression focused. Matt Levine’s guitar gets especially raw in the midsection of “Kerosene” (note: not a Big Black cover), contrasting well with the synth and the electronics, which are credited to Ross Levine and Hans Munz, respectively. Bassist Becky Cale and drummer Tony Cale (Soft Science is truly a band of siblings) deliver the right amount of heft and propulsion.
If Lines flirts with an overabundance of pop sheen at times, tracks like “Kerosene” and the thick and fleet “Stuck” swing the needle in the opposite direction. And then “Hands” bursts forth like a dance single released by Sire Records circa ’86 or thereabouts, though even in this track the guitars eventually take command.
From there, “Hands” barrels along like it could’ve been released by 4AD in the early ’90s, and “Zeros” extends this sensibility as Haley’s voice soars atop a substantial shoegaze foundation. But it’s “True” that really steals the show on Lines as it combines a synth-poppy motif with a guitar and vocal thrust that’s reminiscent of The Primitives.
“Polar” brings a tangible circularity to Lines, but it’s also distinct from “Low,” as what vocals there are get submerged in a torrent of soft noise. “Polar” retains the enveloping quality of the opener, but stays close to the ground and ends abruptly. It reinforces that Soft Science is interested in pushing the boundaries as they strive to put their own spin on a deeply established style.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
