SOFT PLAY

Rooted in hardcore, metal, and post-punk, the English duo Soft Play unleashes sweat-soaked mosh-pit fury paired with lyrics that confront social and political alienation amid growing societal fractures. The pair first appeared in 2012, releasing two EPs and three albums—including the gold-certified Are You Satisfied?—as Slaves before adopting the Soft Play name just prior to issuing 2024’s Heavy Jelly.

Guitarist Laurie Vincent and drummer Isaac Holman, both then in their early twenties, launched the project that year in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. After crossing paths on the local circuit, Holman spent a short time in Vincent’s earlier group Bareface; the two soon struck out on their own with a stripped-down setup of one electric guitar, two cymbals, a snare, and a floor tom that Holman played standing. Sharing vocals, they forged a raw, aggressive, and distinctly British sound shaped by Crass, Gang of Four, and the Clash while echoing the spirit of Gallows and Iceage. Their near-constant gigging quickly built a following, and despite their neat appearance, the duo delivered bruising live sets that regularly ended with both members shirtless and crowds pogoing wildly.

Their debut EP, the 11-track, 21-minute Sugar Coated Bitter Truth, arrived in 2013 and featured the 15-second fan favorite “Girl Fight.” Early 2014 brought the single “Where’s Your Car, Debbie?,” followed by the full-length Are You Satisfied? in 2015. The next year they issued Take Control, which included input from the Beastie Boys’ Mike D. Extensive European and U.S. touring supported the album in 2017, after which Jolyon Thomas—known for work with U2 and Royal Blood—produced their third LP, Acts of Fear and Love, in 2018. The four-song Velvet Ditch EP appeared the following year, marking the final release under the Slaves name.

Seeking to shed a moniker that “doesn’t represent who we are as people or what our music stands for any longer,” the duo rebranded as Soft Play, a title that better captured their ferocious yet welcoming approach—an approach they drove to new extremes on the feverish, widely praised Heavy Jelly.