On their debut album, Soft struggles to give old school Britpop new life. With a feathered voice, rambling beat, and high guitar distortion guiding most of their work, the band is a throwback to the shoegaze world of British rock. While their melodies are distinct in today's scene, they don't develop what's been learned over the last twenty years into anything unique.
Mid-tempo sauntering, super-distorted guitars, and singer Johnny Reineck's often-cooing vocals give Gone Faded a cushioned foundation, capable of supporting spread-out tunes, but nothing particularly weighty. The opening, title track has Reineck breathing "ho, ho" over a wobbling guitar riff straight out of a dark, Northern city. The formula, unfortunately, remains the same throughout. The more danceworthy track, "Droppin'" doesn't even employ a different technique as the other tracks, just changes speeds slightly. The second-to-last track of Gone Faded, "Ring On" introduces a slightly different melody and an acoustic guitar for a bit of a mix-down.
If you're looking for a flashback to '80s Britrock or '90s shoegaze, Gone Faded is a pleasant revival of the eras, but does little beyond that. Soft's debut actually may be a little too reminiscent, as it overuses its schtick and through it all, remains unconvincing.
