“Their blurry, disaffected rock reminds us of New York rock when the The Strokes were the
biggest band ever, and also Spacemen 3 minus the reverb and plus a bunch of dirt.†– The Fader
“Driven by springy Gang of Four-style bass lines, brittle guitar stabs and singer-guitarist
Lamkin’s sneering delivery.†– Rolling Stone
California quartet The Soft Pack are proud to announce the release of their eagerly awaited self-titled
debut album, out February 2 on Kemado Records.
Chances are you have encountered the no-frills razor sharp music of The Soft Pack at some point over
the last year and a half. Whether you’ve seen them share stages with Phoenix, Franz Ferdinand or The
Breeders on recent tours, heard their deadpan cover of “Fences†on the Phoenix remix album, or had the
whimsical surfer-punk tune “Extinction†from the Muslims EP stuck in your head for the last seven months,
the band has laid the groundwork to put out one of the year’s best debut albums.
The Soft Pack began as a collaboration of two friends, Matt Lamkin and Matty McLoughlin. Matty
played guitar obsessively; Matt also played guitar but fancied himself as a singer/wordsmith too. Both
Matt and Matty were frustrated music aficionados who decided that they’d had enough of all the bands in
their hometown dressing and sounding like chilly English bands from the 1960s/70s/80s. “We wanted to
start a band that played simple, catchy, smart rock songs,†says Matt. “There weren’t many bands in San Diego
doing that at the time. So we did.†The aesthetic that Matt and Matty honed early on is the piece de résistance of
their debut – a spare yet fiery jangle of guitars, drums, bass and pokerfaced singing. Matt and Matty played the San
Diego circuit with a revolving roster of bassists and drummers and by CMJ 2008 had recruited permanent members
Dave Lantzman (bass) and Brian Hill (guitars) just in time to play a raucous 11 show run at the festival. The
much-deserved buzz spread, and the band was picked up on tours with The Breeders, Franz Ferdinand and the Last
Shadow Puppets before hitting SXSW ’09 and releasing the limited edition 12 inch Muslims EP that flew off the
shelves. They signed deals with Kemado Records in the US and Heavenly Records in the UK, and crafted
their debut album alongside producer Eli Janney at Saltland Studios in Brooklyn, New York during the late
summer of 2009. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking about music,†says Matty. And in their 10-song debut,
running at a little over thirty minutes and begging to be put on repeat, it shows. The band is already making
waves in the UK, with both Mojo and Q profiling the band as “ones to watch†in 2010 and NME including the
album in their picks of key records of next year. Lead single “Answer to Yourself†has been getting a great
response from UK radio, with a recent first play on BBC1.
Opening track “C’Mon†kicks off the record with a playful challenge from the band after which the four-piece
race through the deliciously poppy and refreshing “Down on Lovin”.†By track three, first single
“Answer to Yourself,†The Soft Pack’s signature no-frills sound comes to a head with an irresistible last-gang-
in-town swagger. Other highlights include “Pull Out,†which captures the energy and wild abandon of the band’s live
shows while a brief respite can be found in the hypnotic sway of “Mexico,†the only song on the album where
the pace drops from a sprint. “Parasites,†a standout track and favorite of the live set, closes the album with
a triumphant finish.
Track listing:
1. C’mon
2. Down On Loving
3. Answer to Yourself
4. Move Along
5. Pull Out
6. More Or Less
7. Tides of Time
8. Flammable
9. Mexico
10. Parasites
The Soft Pack is available now for pre-order via InSound. The band will also be releasing a 12†of first single
“Answer to Yourself†and track “C’Mon†with b-sides “Eat Gold†and “Faith Man†in December 2009.
“The San Diego quartet have cherry-picked the best of their heroes and made the result their own.†– NME