Soft Kill – Dead Kids, R.I.P. City (Review)

Band: Soft Kill
Album: Dead Kids, R.I.P. City
Genre: Shoegaze, Alternative, Post-Punk
Country: USA
Release Date: 20th of November, 2020
Released via: Cercle Social Records
Cover Artwork: © Cercle Social Records, 2020

Time has always been a crucial subject to mankind. The fleeting of time, the wasting of time or to exist in the wrong time. Soft Kill fall into the later one. They sound like the perfect opener for The Cure around the mid-80s.

I first “met” Soft Kill on their split with Portrayal of Guilt. I was instantly hooked: those melodies, the echoing vocals and the all over dreamy atmosphere. As mentioned above, I instantly thought of 80s The Cure and other bands, that reimagine the Post-Punk / Shoegaze sound of the 80s like Death of Lovers.

The whole album feels like a book of moments. Every song immediately paints a picture. Although it may sound like a common phrase, but it rarely fit better than in this case.

“Floodgate” is a favorite of mine. Those slow rhythms, the fuzz in the background, everything feels like the dawning of a new day and greeting it with slight optimism. “Matty Rue” reminds me of Arcade Fire in an odd way. When I heard this song for the first time, I instantly thought of the track “Everything Now” of the last Arcade Fire album of the same name. “Wanting War” sounds like the perfect soundtrack on the way to the neon night-club, completed with clapping and uptempo rhythm. In my ears, this song is the most obvious nod to the sound of the 80s.

The massive “Oil Burner” with its 8,5 minutes and the almost acoustic “I needed the Pain” finish this album. Both would have been great closer. “Oil Burner” with the big guitar finale and “I needed the Pain” as a soothing alternative. “I needed the Pain” is like a counterpart of “Wanting War“, the aftermath of a long night, the calmness of a Sunday-morning.

Dead Kids, R.I.P. City is an awesome album. Everything that made me fall in love with the band is present here and it is a great example of a band having found their sound, cultivating it and exceeding expectations every time.