Californian dreamgazers Soft Science let the ground shift on fifth album "Sand"
16 h
Newsdesk
Some bands make music that floats away. Soft Science make dream pop with somewhere to go. For more than a decade, the Northern California quintet have been threading shoegaze shimmer, dreamy textures and melodic urgency into songs that are as emotionally direct as they are atmospheric. On "Sand", their fifth album, they sound more assured (and also more restless) than ever.
Released through Shelflife Records in North America and Spinout Nuggets in the UK, "Sand" takes its title seriously. These are songs about things that refuse to hold still: love, memory, identity, even the stories we tell ourselves about why relationships fall apart. The recurring images of spinning, circling and repetition give the album its emotional tension, but "Sand" continually finds its way towards something brighter. Beneath the uncertainty is a deep sense of tenderness and resilience, with Soft Science turning the instability of love into songs about connection, perseverance and renewal.
"Spinning" is a case in point, its propulsive pulse mirroring the frustration of being trapped in the same conversations and emotional loops. "Understand" offers a sunnier proposition, its buoyant rush and Lush-like guitar glow suggesting that time might, occasionally, be on our side. Then comes "Fade", where its steady, driving rhythm gives the song an almost hypnotic pull as memory and change blur together.
Across "Sand", the band's real trick becomes apparent: Soft Science understand that atmosphere means little without a tune to carry it. Ethereal vocals hover amid cascading guitars, electronic textures and layered harmonies, while the rhythm section supplies a restless heartbeat beneath the haze. The result is a record that rewards both immersion and attention, revealing new details in its layers without ever losing sight of the melody.
Soft Science features Katie Haley (lead vocals, percussion), brothers Matt Levine (lead guitar) and Ross Levine (guitar, backing vocals), and partners Tony Cale (drums) and Becky Cale (bass, backing vocals), with frequent collaborator Hans Munz contributing electronics. Following "Highs and Lows" (2011), "Detour" (2013), "Maps" (2018) and "Lines" (2023), "Sand" arrives as the latest chapter in a catalogue that has steadily refined the band's particular collision of melody, noise and atmosphere.
"Sand" isn't merely another lap around the track. The guitars bite harder, the textures feel denser and the emotional stakes are higher. For all its talk of cycles, this is an album that moves forward. Other standout tracks include “Without”, “Go” and “Everything”, but really the whole album is a commendable effort for a band that is making its mark.
"Let in the light," Haley sings. It's a modest instruction, but it captures "Sand" perfectly: bruised, luminous and stubbornly hopeful. Soft Science have made impermanence sound rather beautiful. The album is out September 4 on CD and vinyl, with digital availability from fine digital platforms. Follow Soft Science at here.
ALBUM CREDITS Recorded at Shattered Records and The Pool House Engineered by Jack O'Donnell Additional Engineering by Ross Levine Mixed by Kev Bolus at OneEleven Mastered by Antony Ryan at RedRedPaw Produced by Soft Science Artwork by John Conley Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
