SOFT PLAY - HEAVY JELLY
Punk Rock – Released July 19, 2024 – 11 songs, 29 mins
LUNDI
If I’m starting to sound repetitive, that’s excellent news. I’ve been banging the drum very loudly for a while now that rock music is back, and while it’s highly unlikely the genre reaches its pre-millennium hysteria anytime soon, it sadly became near non-existent for over a decade. With every week that now passes though, Friday continues to greet us with more rock, and by god it’s no longer your parents rock, it’s completely modernized to fit the times. Bands have adapted and it’s coming through in spades. Perhaps there’s no better example of that than English duo Soft Play who debut their new moniker with the wildly entertaining Heavy Jelly. Let’s rage.
When Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent take the stage their presence becomes larger than life itself. The duo embody the bold and brash punk rock mentality of old that allows them to deliver energetic and endless in your face music you could lose your soul in. On hiatus since 2019 due to the tragic passing of Vincent’s partner, the band return with not only a new urgency to write and perform but also with a new band name, a topic they masterfully poke fun at on the albums lead single Punks Dead.
That type of hilarity is at no shortage on Heavy Jelly. In fact it’s the most prominent feature of the record. The duo write songs that channel a keen perspective similar to Larry David level ridiculousness and insight. They prove there’s humor in everything if you look at it from the right angle including PC culture, drug abuse, therapy sessions, anxiety and OCD, or just the general obscenity of daily life. You may not agree with them, but they aren’t lining up to apologize. The aptly titled closing track draws together an overarching album theme that life is ultimately Everything and Nothing. There’s raw pain but also beauty and laughter in all of life’s cycles and the ability to transmit that insight while not being sappy or overdraw is impressive, to do it while being a damn fun listen is downright incredible writing to say the least.
But perhaps the most impressive trait of Heavy Jelly is that despite its grand blow your head off sound, Soft Play have zero issue delivering this music live with just the two of them gracing the stage. Yes, that’s not exactly a trait of an album itself but once you dive into the bands makeup you understand the importance. To know the album is developed with performing for a live audience in mind is of extreme significance. Issac towers behind the drums, standing and scream singing while Laurie provides backing vocals and rotates between bass and electric guitar. Creating music so monstrous sounding all while knowing you will perform it for the masses down to the smallest detail, is a marvelous achievement. Every instrument is crisp and the production is near flawless. Studio magic could derail a project like this in seconds but Soft Play are brimming with the necessary talent to pull it off. Big, bold, funny, insightful, the descriptors for this album drag longer than most. One thing is for certain, it’s damn brilliant.
Heavy Jelly is an insane 30 minute punk rock thrill ride. The duo ooze charisma and have a keen sense of how to deliver strong thematics through hysterical lyricism. Soft Play’s energy is unmatched and a welcomed find in my endless search for new music.
Overall Rating: 8.1/10
Favourite Song: Punk’s Dead
ROZ
This week Too Sweet Reviews finds itself deep inside the mosh pit as we direct our attention to English punk rock duo Issac Holman and Laurie Vincent. What’s that you say? A lead singer who’s also on drums? Say no more, I’m already invested. If I don’t make it out of here alive, tell my mother I love her. This is SOFT PLAY and their first studio album, HEAVY JELLY.
Punk rock is an interesting genre to dive into. While many genres can be mood specific, very few give off such specificity as punk does; guitar amps dialed to 11 and channel meters deep into the red as drum sets are demolished and skull-splitting screams of a fanatical vocalist permeate your entire being. HEAVY JELLY is not an easy, rainy day listen – and that’s putting it lightly. With a relatively short run time of 29 minutes through 11 songs (and let’s face it, this is for the good of the listener as well as the performers), HEAVY JELLY smacks you in the face and kicks you to the floor. This now becomes the proverbial fork in the road for any new listener – a make or break, love or hate moment. Will you turn around and run away screaming, or will you get up, brush yourself off and dive into the mosh pit for more? It’s not difficult to respect the former, but for me it is most certainly the latter. Hook me up and keep that good stuff flowing.
The unique edge found throughout HEAVY JELLY, the special element that separates it from its modern counterparts is, believe it or not, the sheer comedy of it. I’ll just go ahead and say it – this album is straight up funny, like if Tenacious D lost their minds and started getting into bar fights. Through my week of listening, I found myself pausing the music time after time in order to let out fits of laughter. This, along with the adrenaline-filled intensity of its instrumentation, made for a very fun combination of emotions. Whether it was from Isaac’s misfortune throughout his Bin Juice Disaster, the hilarious scream-roleplaying of beloved action star Keanu Reeves on John Wick, the trials and tribulations of our little invertebrate friend on Worms on Tarmac, or the ridiculousness of my new favorite gym song Mirror Muscles; the band simply could not fail in crafting one goofball concept after another. I don’t know if it’s the cheeky humor that the Brit’s have or if SOFT PLAY missed their calling in stand-up comedy, but whatever the case is I found myself thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.
In saying all of this, the album makes sure to throw in more than just plain old silliness. In fact, there is a very real sense of introspection from the band, highlighted most on standout track Punk’s Dead. In case you didn’t know, HEAVY JELLY is the first studio album under the band’s new alias. This stems from the fact that the band renamed themselves in 2022 after feeling discomfort in their original name: Slaves. Who could blame them? Turns out, surprise surprise, a portion of their actual fanbase very much could blame them. Herein lies the cleverness of Punk’s Dead, as it lyrically flips the mirror around on the trolls and haters by using their own words against them – a brilliant and effective tactic. Last but not least, closing track Everything and Nothing completely switches up the tempo and tonality (both from a musical and songwriting perspective) to give a beautiful acoustic ballad paying tribute to the death of a loved one. It’s the perfect somber moment after surviving 25 minutes of pure, unhinged chaos and a soul-crushing ‘Fuck You’ to cancer.
SOFT PLAY’s HEAVY JELLY packs a punch while staying surprisingly lighthearted. It is perhaps this stark contrast that makes up the most of the album's charm – not to mention it's downright hilarity throughout.
Overall Rating: 8.1/10
Favourite Song: Punk's Dead
REID
This week we dive into the fourth studio album from UK punk rock band, SOFT PLAY. The duo is a complete unknown for us at TSR, joining a long list of artists since the inception of this blog. The boys are short and sweet with HEAVY JELLY clocking in at just twenty-nine minutes. I’ll follow their lead and get right into it.
I’m guilty of listening to this album many times before reading up on the band’s make-up and boy, was I impressed when I realized all this was coming from just two men. They draw immediate parallels to Canadian rockers, Death from Above 1979. The styles of music are different but their respective sounds are comparatively full with infectious pace and high octane vocals. Check out this video of the album’s first single, Punk’s Dead.
Leading the way with undeniable talent and swagger is frontman, Isaac Holman. He belongs in the rare group of musicians on both drums and lead vocals. Standing up pounding those drums, parading around screaming is so bad ass. He has that rock star aura. He was born for this. Laurie Vincent feeds well off this energy on guitar/bass and backing vocals, creating a cohesive pair with excellent chemistry.
Paired with their brash brand of rock and metal is excellent wordplay. HEAVY JELLY is filled with hilarity proving the duo doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Bin Juice Disaster is a full song about an overfilled garbage can stinking up the house; ‘Why did I keep pushing it down? Trousers rolled up, dry retching. Smells like shit in my kitchen’. They’re unapologetically opinionated on Punk’s Dead, lashing out at today’s PC culture;‘Punk’s dead, pushing up daisies, Come and get a load of these PC babies’. Mirror Muscles pokes fun at over-the-top bodybuilders, ‘Look at this peak, look at this summit, Curls for the girls…Light work, it’s easy.’ It’s not all ridiculousness though, as SOFT PLAY divulge on serious topics like drug use (Working Title), mental health (Isaac is Typing) and grief (Everything and Nothing) showing creative versatility amongst the chaos. The latter is the record’s final track and is a total change of pace with Vincent swapping from distortion to mandolin. This heartfelt goodbye doubles as a classy gesture and proves they have more tools in their kit.
HEAVY JELLY is a concise kick-in-the-ass from a talented and unique punk rock duo. Their raucous style and carefree lyrics are a fun combination. This group must be seen live.
Overall Rating: 7.6/10
Favourite Song: Punk’s Dead