Glasgow-based synth pop/electronic/minimal/dark wave musician JJD aka Soft Riot has announced the release of his tenth studio album tilled simply ‘No.‘
JJD wrote, recorded, and produced the follow-up to 2019’s When Push Comes To Shove, which is due for release on August 11 via Possession Records/Wave Tension Records. Pre-order your copy here.
According to the press release, No. was influenced by many different factors, including the conditions of the pandemic lockdowns and also by the urge of listening to music favourites from beyond his own scene.
In his sound, one can still hear the spirits of early synth musicians such as Images in Vogue, The Box, Section 25, Thomas Dolby, Skinny Puppy, Chrome, Cabaret Voltaire, Fad Gadget, Japan and Bill Nelson. However, some of Jack’s halcyon punk influences surface as well, taking inspiration from legendary punk/hardcore labels such as Dischord and Gravity, as listening habits over pandemic steered back towards more guitar-based styles.
The introduction of expanded production techniques, experiments with vocal styles and tones, and stylistic shifts mark a progression of Soft Riot’s sound. The result is a snarkier, urgent and more playful, with a focus on pure synthpop, new wave, art-punk, proto-EBM as well as grittier synth-punk and post-punk tones.
Finally, the variation, energy and tone of this collection of tracks illustrates Soft Riot’s ability to transcend the hallmarks of today’s music environment, which increasingly is fragmenting into smaller and smaller micro-genres. Dry wit and dark humour take the lyrics and the tone of this album on a fun ride through music scenes, dark alleys and inside jokes.
Check out the album’s tracklist and cover art below.
No. Tracklisting:
- Linked Between Two Minds
- Crashing Into Tomorrow
- It Never Takes Long To Say No
- Shouldering
- When It Comes On Strong
- Wishing You Were Wrong
- Just A Vapour
- A Spade Is Played Again
- Won’t Fade Out
