Review Summary: “Are you even listening?”
I discovered The Soft Underground years ago when they were featured in an article spotlighting up and coming artists. The author likened them to
Stone Temple Pilots, which as a huge STP fan, gave me enough motivation to check out their first album,
Lost in Translation. It was good, but they were no STP. Still, songs like "Is the Wolf" and "Paper Stars" kept me interested. So when I heard about the release of their new album,
Morning World, I approached it with cautious optimism. By the end of my first listen, I was blown away.
The performances are tighter, the production is slicker, and yes, the songs are better.
Outside of the grooving rocker, "Vagabond", and the southern rock tinged "Among Angels", the band has shed the STP influence and begun to carve a sound of their own. There’s certainly more variety compared to their last album. The places you’d usually find guitar solos are now home to saxophones, woodwinds, and strange percussion.
The second half of the album is where things stray from the norm. In one sequence, the songs transition from the folky "Sullen Eyes", to the indie rocker, "June", and before finally landing on the psychedelic slow burner, "Glasgow". It’s an eclectic mix, yet nothing feels out of place.
Even the more accessible tracks, like the shuffling "Ghosts" and the melodic "Time Goes Bye", feature enough unexpected moments to avoid becoming standard rock songs. The latter bursts into a jarring waltz section that immediately grabs your attention.
I’m genuinely surprised that a relatively unknown band has made an album that has captured me completely. It’s ambitious, it’s catchy, and it’s memorable. But perhaps more importantly, The Soft Underground has discovered their own identity, and that makes for a great album.
Recommended tracks: “Sullen Eyes”, “Watersong”, “Ghosts”
