Soft Yes, the NYC-based quartet making waves with their eclectic blend of '00s art rock and post-punk, have just dropped their latest single, ‘Odd Numbers’. This isn't your typical track; imagine a pulsating bassline leading the charge, interwoven with harmonizing guitars and a surprisingly blasé vocal delivery. It's a sonic experience that feels both jumbled and dreamlike, perfectly capturing the band's unique approach to music. As they put it themselves, "We wanted the most important thing in the band to be the bass and the least important thing in the band to be the lyrics."
Clocking in at just under two minutes, ‘Odd Numbers’ is a testament to Soft Yes' ability to deliver a complete musical journey in a compact and captivating package. With a clear intro, chorus, and multiple verses, the track mirrors the fast-paced energy of their NYC roots. But there's more to this band than just short, sharp bursts of sound. We caught up with Soft Yes to dig deeper into their influences, their creative process, and what the future holds for this exciting group.
Great to catch up with you, especially after recently catching your new single. When did you first start making music? Where did it all begin, and what inspired you?
“Rebecca and Imran met through the NYC singer-songwriter circuits, playing music at places like Pete’s Candy Store, the Path Cafe, Caffe Vivaldi, and the Jalopy Theater. They talked about forming a band for years. One day, Imran texted Rebecca the words "Soft Yes" and then Rebecca texted Imran saying "that's the name of the band, let's get started". Jake worked with Rebecca at one point at a restaurant. Noah joined the band later after coming to a bunch of our shows and making Imran a custom Soft Yes pedal.”
Can you tell us a bit about your new single and what it means to you?
“'Odd Numbers' is the second single from our first full-length album. In general, we're really excited about this new batch of songs because they show a bit more of what we're capable of. 'Odd Numbers' shows we can tap into some of the distinctive NYC sound in an authentic way. Not all of our songs sound like this, but it's probably one of our more 'NYC' songs on the album.”
Are there any artists, moments, or experiences that influenced you when writing the release?
“Leonard Cohen said he had an infinite well of inspiration in scripture. We tend to draw infinite inspiration from America, it’s an endless well of material for us. Right now it’s maybe over-indexed on NYC because it’s where we live but there are seeds of everywhere in America in the music. A great number of our songs are literally named after states or cities in the country.”
What was your songwriting process for the release? How did it all come together?
“We write everything together in our practice space in Greenpoint. We have a little routine where we meet at this bar called Diamond Lil where the bartenders now hardly charge us (bless them), then we have a bodega run where the bodega owner says things like "must be Wednesday" when we walk in (we typically practice on Wednesdays), then we head to the space and slowly ease into practice. No one writes a song alone and brings it in. We don't do that kind of thing. It’s all done together, very very slowly over many practices.”
“A lot of these songs were written over years. It happens fast and slow. 85% of the song gets written in the first 15 minutes when we come up with the idea. And the remaining 15% gets written over the course of 3-4 years, sometimes more. The lyrics are almost always done last. Or not at all.’
How would you describe the sound on your latest release? Has there been a change or evolution in style since you first began?
“We wanted the most important thing in the band to be the bass and the least important thing in the band to be the lyrics. We don’t always stick to that, though. But philosophically, it’s important. The song has a distinctive Soft Yes brevity. it's only a minute thirty seconds or something, but with a proper intro, chorus, multiple verses, etc. We like our songs to be under two minutes. There’s something New York about that. We give you everything and don’t waste your time. it’s a form of respect in its own way.”
Is there a central message or theme you were trying to convey in the single? And is there a moment in the release that really captures that idea?
“All of us think we're in a different band, which is probably our greatest strength and weakness, depending on the day. We probably all think this song conveys something different, but I think we're all pretty happy about this one.”
What sort of reception have you had to your latest release? Are there any memorable moments that stand out?
“This was a song where we threw a very early live take of the song onto social media, like a video we shot of us playing it the first day we came up with the idea. We got very good, very clearly positive early feedback based on this and kind of felt confident we had a good idea from that. We don’t normally do that it just kind of happened this time around. Since we've released it, we got pretty good feedback from our core fans (our friends and lovers).”
Looking ahead, where do you see yourself in the next few years, both musically and personally?
“We'd like to reach more listeners and play more. Maybe a small little tour. Add some more things to our Linkedin.”
What's next after this release? Do you have any new releases or shows on the horizon?
“Our album will be out soon, we're super excited about that. We're going to have a listening party at the bar our bassist Jake works at. You should come to that.”
Is there anything you would like to say to our audience? How can they connect with you and help support you?
“We're on Spotify and we have an Instagram, @softyesvitamins. We're also on LinkedIn. Follow us there and let us know what you think.”
It's clear that Soft Yes are a band with a vision, embracing the unexpected and challenging conventional norms. With their debut album on the horizon and a growing fanbase eager to hear more, it seems that Soft Yes are poised to make a lasting impression on the music scene. Keep an eye on their socials, to stay updated on their journey. And don't miss their album listening party at the bar where their bassist, Jake, works – it's sure to be a night to remember!
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