16 April 2021 - 0 Comments

Soft Plastics release their new stand alone single Loozer, ahead of a tour throughout Te Ika-a-Maui.

Sophie Scott-Maunder (she/her), Jonathan Shirley (he/him), and Laura Robinson (she/her) make up Soft Plastics, an indie rock trio based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, NZ). Their music takes influence from 90's shoegaze, and 2010's alt-rock, and offers a masterclass in converting heartache into devotional pop hooks.

STREAM LOOZER

Spotify / iTunes / Bandcamp / YouTube

The recording process had a very D.I.Y. approach, as Jonathan explains "Loozer was a collaborative effort, with Lochie Noble (Transistor) helping out recording the drums in Laura's flat (followed by some Good Boy Sandwiches from James and Al) and finally Oli Devlin (Hans Pucket) recording vocals and providing feedback with double tracking."

"Loozer was one of the first Soft Plastics songs we wrote." says Sophie. "Thematically and lyrically, the song is about self-sabotaging situations and making decisions based on wants rather than needs. When I wrote 'If I let this pass me by I could win some or I could lose you' I was reflecting on short term gain vs long term pain and whether it’s worth sacrificing something you know very well for a stab in the dark. I was really keen to add some guttural screams after the breakdown that was reminiscent of Mitski or Phoebe Bridgers. There is no real resolution to the song so the screams were a perfect way to release the tension and add an additional layer of distortion."

The group finalised the recording process with engineer James Goldsmith, and as Jonathan describes "with James it took on a whole new life of feeling huge and a lot more rocky- which is definitely what it needed. We are really happy with what he did, especially with our home recording."

To celebrate the release of Loozer, Soft Plastics will perform a string of shows throughout the Te Ika -a-Maui (North Island). They begin in at a secret location in Whanganui (all will be revealed on the day of the show). This is followed by an appearance at Rad Fest, a new festival curated by Creeps Record Store featuring Dick Move, End Boss, Na Noise, Tender Moonlight and many more. They then head up country to Whaingaroa (Raglan) to perform at the Yot Club with Linen, and their final stop is in Tamaki Makaurau's Whammy Bar with Being. Tickets are available through the fine folks at Undertheradar.

Before starting Soft Plastics, Sophie and Jonathan were part of psychedelic surf group Beatcomber. Following their disbandment in 2019, the duo regrouped with Laura Robinson on drums and quickly released an eponymous debut EP, whose songs were instantly playlisted across the Student Radio Network. Then followed the #1 SRN hit My World/Your Girl plus an extensive tour throughout Aotearoa.

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