“Sadness” by Soft Science
Between Katie Haley’s winsome voice and Ross and Matt Levine’s effortlessly chiming guitars — not to mention a gentle melancholy that accents every second of “Sadness” — Soft Science taps into all that was good and great about Sarah Records. (It doesn’t hurt that the band features former members of such illustrious indie-poppers as California Oranges and Holiday Flyer.)
The Sacramento-based sextet began working on their latest full-length, Lines, back in 2019, before COVID upended everything. But through home recordings and isolated recording sessions, the band forged ahead. The album — which “addresses living and loving within the complexities and challenges of everyday life in our fast-paced digital world” — will be released on Portland’s Shelflife Records on September 8, 2023.