On their latest release ‘I’d Rather Fly’, Brighton's Soft as Hell delivers a slow-burning, widescreen journey that unfolds like a forgotten film playing out somewhere between memory and imagination.
From the outset, there’s a sense of space that immediately pulls you in. The opening moments linger, allowing each chord to stretch out and settle, like heat rising off an empty desert road. There’s also a willingness to let the atmosphere breathe before the track begins to expand into something more rhythmically driven.
As the arrangement builds, layers begin to reveal themselves with subtle precision. Guitars glide in with a hazy glow, while the underlying textures create a sense of depth that feels almost cinematic. It’s not hard to picture vast landscapes or lone figures silhouetted against endless horizons, as the track practically invites those images into your mind.
The turning point arrives in the latter half, where the track shifts into a groove that feels unexpectedly infectious. It’s subtle at first before blossoming into a full-bodied section that adds movement and lift. It’s here that the song truly takes off, transforming from introspective drift into something almost euphoric, without ever losing its sense of control.
There’s also something deeply personal embedded within the sound. Despite its cinematic scale, ‘I’d Rather Fly’ never feels detached. It carries a sense of yearning that hovers beneath the surface, giving the track a human core amidst its expansive textures.
Here, Soft as Hell has created a drifting, glowing, and quietly powerful piece that feels like it belongs to a world just out of reach. And once you step into it, you won’t want to leave.