Last year saw UK-based punk duo SOFT PLAY make a life-affirming comeback with the highly acclaimed album ‘HEAVY JELLY‘. Their highest charting record to date, landing at #3 in the UK charts, it was an album in which raging punk, nu-metal attacks and slamming hardcore somehow possessed the warmth of an embrace from an old friend – and in the process was critically lauded as clearly the best record of their career so far. Now SOFT PLAY are sharing an expanded vision of the album with the release of ‘HEAVIER JELLY‘. Purchase/Listen HERE.
‘HEAVIER JELLY’ adds six new tracks to the set, some of which were recorded during the original album sessions and others the product of more recent studio visits. But this isn’t a mere outtakes collection. Each song was in serious contention for the original record and was omitted only because of moods or genres that would’ve felt out of place: see the Irish folk-influenced celebration-of-friends that is ‘Heavy Jelly‘, the leftfield hip-hop of ‘Take Me To The Tip‘, and the sax, spoken word and twisted big beat experiment of ‘Chairman of the Council‘.
Meanwhile, ‘Flip ’em The Bird‘ and ‘Green Lamborghini‘ more than match the ‘HEAVY JELLY’ attack, but some things had to be sacrificed to allow it to be the monstrous 30-minute short-sharp-shock that it is. The result is that ‘HEAVIER JELLY’ is a broader, stranger and expansive alternative to the punchy thrills of the original.
SOFT PLAY‘s Laurie Vincent says, “These songs are the bastard children of ‘Heavy Jelly’, strange experimentations/ delusions that didn’t fit the mould. I’m excited for our fans to get a glimpse into some more music that came from the world of ‘Heavy Jelly’. Strap in.”
And of the newly shared title track ‘Heavy Jelly‘ (Acoustic Video HERE) specifically Laurie comments, “It’s an abstract ballad, an ode to the record itself. It didn’t sit right amongst the original tracklisting but it was too special not to release.”
The announcement of ‘HEAVIER JELLY’ was marked with the release of breakout new single ‘Slushy‘ which features Kate Nash and received a premiere play from Craig Charles on BBC 6Music. The track’s rampaging proto-punk / garage rock raw power is the perfect framework for a duet which sees Kate Nash relishing trading sweetly savage call-and-response barbs with Isaac Holman.
SOFT PLAY topped off their standout 2024 with a Sold-Out UK tour, including a raucous Halloween headline date at Brixton Academy and have started 2025 in similar fashion with a successful run of shows in Australia and more recently headlining an intimate Village Underground show for War Child UK / BRITS Week.
The duos momentum shows no signs of slowing down as their big year of touring is set to continue with a run of North American dates, their first tour of the Continent since 2018. The run consists of shows as special guests to Kneecap, headline gigs and Coachella. Summer then brings a mix of international festivals and big outdoor shows including support dates with IDLES, The Libertines and Slipknot.
‘HEAVIER JELLY’ is available now on all streaming services with a very limited run of orange vinyl & CD formats also available exclusively from SOFT PLAY’s official store HERE.
‘HEAVIER JELLY’ is available worldwide now, via BMG
