For a two-piece band composed of an electric guitar, stand-up drum kit (no hi-hat, of course) and a thickly laden helping of raspy vocals, staying power was always likely to be the biggest hurdle to overcome. In fact, when Soft Play (fka Slaves) first burst onto the scene over a decade ago, championing a combative, unapologetic sound, they found it easy enough to grab people’s attention once they hit the mainstream—the challenge was keeping it.
Four albums later, Isaac Holman (drums, vocals) and Laurie Vincent (guitar) have well and truly put fears of any potential stagnation to rest. HEAVY JELLY, the latest of these offerings released in July last year, was a band breaking new ground and having fun doing it, in what was certainly the duo’s most ambitious project to date.
Fast forward a few months, and the Kent natives are back with the original album’s more rotund older sibling, HEAVIER JELLY, a deluxe edition sporting six shiny new tracks. This sextet of songs serve as a celebration of the whimsicality and brutality that have fashioned Soft Play’s core identity over the years, while providing a few indications that further evolution is on the cards.
Let’s kick off in familiar territory with ‘Green Lamborghini’. This track evokes memories of ‘Girl Fight’-era Soft Play in terms of both its brevity and simplicity. In a style akin to a satanic chant, Holman spends one minute and 26 seconds ridiculing people who drive ostentatious cars, repeating the mantra “Green Lamborghini // Have you seen me?”
In a similar vein, but delivered with a touch more finesse, ‘Flip Em the Bird’ is a punk-infused romp. Holman recounts several particularly visceral bouts of road rage that all resulted in the same outcome, as he defiantly announces “I just flip ’em the bird.”
This track embodies exactly why Soft Play are a cut above the array of ‘man shouts over distorted guitar riff’ bands they’re partly responsible for spawning. The overt aggression contrasts the humorous, playful undertones of lines such as “You and Elon can stick it where the sun don’t shine.” This formula, founded on a refusal to take themselves too seriously, sets Soft Play apart from contemporaries—underpinning much of their best work to date.
‘Chairman of the Council’ sees Holman wage war on provincial town ‘Karens’, mimicking the entitled manner (and accent) of an aristocrat when approaching an unsuspecting tradesman and demanding “Stop what you’re doing and listen to me.” A couple of seductive saxophone solos are added between choruses, perhaps as a nod to the air of sophistication our council chair is so desperate to exude.
Soft Play team up with Kate Nash for ‘Slushy’, reflecting on a date gone horribly wrong as Holman’s suitor marmalises a slush puppy “I gave you my straw, you gave it a suck // A big fat draw, I was like “What the fuck?” Nash and Holman go toe-to-toe throughout, with the uncompromising styles of both vocalists vying for attention as they exchange lyrical barbs.
The most revealing song of the group is ‘Take Me to the Tip’, an experimental hip-hop track that ventures outside the band’s comfort zone. Vincent’s considered lead guitar riff, a hypnotic bass line and gentle keys—fused with Holman’s uncharacteristically reserved vocal delivery—cultivate a vibe reminiscent of an imaginary hard life (easy life, pre-lawsuit) / King Krule collaboration.
The overarching theme is renewal, as Holman pensively decrees “Take me to the tip // ‘Cause this is bullshit // Let’s pack the car and throw it all away,” casting a dejected portrait of someone in desperate need of a reset. If tear-jerker ‘Everything and Nothing’ was the jewel of HEAVY JELLY, ‘Take Me to the Tip’ is just as adventurous in its own way, teeming with a vulnerability not typically associated with Soft Play.
Acoustic folk track ‘Heavy Jelly’ is another example of the duo dipping their toe into a new genre, with melodic violin and an upbeat chord progression working in tandem to create punk’s answer to ‘Scarborough Fair’.
Each bonus track on HEAVIER JELLY is far more than a mere offcut and tells the story of a band enjoying its creative peak. It would have been a shame if the songs axed from the original tracklist were permanently confined to the archives, and their release confirms that Tunbridge Wells’ finest have plenty left in the tank.
Words by Joe Jordan
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