Following the announcement of their first album in six years HEAVY JELLY coming our way this July, UK-based punk duo Soft Play have just revealed their latest cut, ‘Everything and Nothing’.
The curveball ballad is a surprising about-face from the visceral punk bite of previous LP cut ‘Act Violently’, softening the musicality with mandolins, violins and poignant lyrics inspired by the passing of Isaac Holman’s close friend.
Soft Play – ‘Everything And Nothing’
“I started writing the words in lockdown in the depths of a mental health breakdown,” Holman explains in a heartfelt press statement. “My good mate Bailey had just passed away, and Laurie had not long lost his partner, Emma, to cancer. It was one thing after the next. I got to the line about Bailey and couldn’t for the life of me think of what to say next, so I left it where it was.”
He continues: “Three years later (last year), I went round to Laurie’s, and he had just got this mandolin; we laid down the instrumental, and I remembered I had these words in the notes on my phone. Laurie asked me what it was about, and I was having trouble explaining it, then he said, ‘So it’s just like everything and nothing’. We demo’d the tune and took it to the studio (lyrics still unfinished). During that stint, I kept seeing people that looked like Bailey, which unlocked the next line of the tune and allowed the rest to come out.”
Laurie Vincent adds: “These past few years have been really hard for so many people. The song and video encapsulate the journeys we’ve all been on: loss, love, rebirth, it’s the cycle of life. Raw pain and bitter beauty.”
Watch and listen to the powerful video for ‘Everything And Nothing’ above, and get your ears around Soft Play’s fourth album HEAVY JELLY when it drops on Friday, 19th July (pre-order here).
Further Reading
UK Band Slaves Apologise for Their Name, Change It to Soft Play
The Ocean’s Robin Staps Talks His Favourite Aussie Tour Memories
Void Of Vision Have Announced A New Album & The Story Behind It Is Beyond Harrowing
