- Soft Division's debut single, released last year on the consistently adventurous Acoustic Division, featured two tracks of indie synth pop leaning heavily on a homespun flavor. On the follow-up EP (impeccably mastered and mixed by Tobias Freund), the duo succeeds in deepening and diversifying their core sound. "Summerhouse, Later" grafts twee-like charm to a cosmic disco groove. "Electrophilia" is a brief snatch of motorik that flirts with abandon yet never surrenders its balance. Then there's "Foreign Peaks," over the course of which Bradley Barr and Kelly Winchester's sleepy vocals are pinned achingly between a growling bass pattern and chilly shoegaze drift.
Admittedly, Soft Vision don't put a whole lot of distance between themselves and their influences. Throughout the EP's six tracks lurk hints of Broadcast, Glass Candy, The Vaselines and especially Dazzle Ships-era Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark (see "Electrophilia"). However, this never overwhelms Soft Vision's sense of identity. This is a credit to how seriously Barr and Winchester take their craft. Working from within the synth pop tradition (as opposed to approaching it from the outside, as deconstructionists or even theorists), they produce honest music that's expertly sculpted and emotionally potent.
Tracklist01. Rocking Horse Winner
02. Walpurgisnacht
03. Summerhouse, Later
04. Electrophilia
05. Foreign Peaks
06. Holy Shrines