A regional supergroup of sorts whose collective resumes include upwards of a dozen early-millennium indie groups, California's
Soft Science
inhabited a lane at the intersection of driving indie rock, affectionate noise pop, and shimmery shoegaze over the course of their first three albums during the 2010s. Their fourth LP and
Shelflife
debut,
Lines
, was recorded with the six-piece lineup of
Katie Haley
(
Holiday Flyer
,
the California Oranges
), brothers
Ross
and
Matt Levine
Welt
), partners
Becky
Tony Cale
English Singles
Arts & Leisure
), and electronic music specialist
Hans Munz
(aka
AngelZero
). Though personnel is only slightly tweaked from their previous album,
Maps
Becky Cale
takes over on bass),
represents a further progression in sound into denser, deeper pools of harmonic shimmer constructed with everything from 12-string guitars and synthesizers to a newfound stress on harmony vocals. While the album's sound design may place the band more squarely under the shoegaze banner, it's important to add that
keep the tempos high, the melodies of gauzy-voiced lead singer
honeyed, and grooves locked in place (for the most part) throughout. In fact, there's nary a cigarette lighter ballad in the bunch after the hazy, prelude-like opener, "Low." That track eases listeners in with a cyclical organ progression, tapped cymbal bell, and wind-like sound effects before
Haley
's spacy, multi-tracked vocals enter ("You fly highâ?¦") and guide the song into lusher atmospheres replete with choral vocals, meandering electric guitar, and a steady bass drum that eventually switches to double time. The next track, "Grip," lets loose from the get-go with a fuzzy guitar riff, gray-hued post-punk timbres, driving, dance-encouraging bass and drums, and plenty of shimmer, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Along the way, galloping highlight "Sadness" is a giddy, bittersweet lovers' quarrel that seeks solutions ("Grab what we can/And try to hold on"), "Stuck" nearly submerges vocals in swirling echo while keeping the rock-club floor bouncing, and "True" is the closest to a straight-up dream pop entry with its romantic, multi-member vocal harmonies and yearning, melodic lead guitar lines. Often immersive and just plain catchy,
is the band's most consistent set yet. ~ Marcy Donelson