Soak - If I Never Know You Like This Again (Album Review)
Monday, 06 June 2022
Written by Jessica Howkins
Photo: Sam Hiscox
In their late teens, Soak tore into the indie scene like an emotional tornado with their debut album ‘Before We Forgot How to Dream’. Its incisive lyrics and delicate vocals have continued to be a cornerstone of their work in the near decade since, echoing the uncertainties we all face at some point in our adult lives. Of course, it’s only fitting that they release ‘If I Never Know You Like This Again’ while we are stumped on how to live life post-pandemic.
Navigating soft harmonies and ‘90s-tinged indie-rock and pop, Soak opens up with Purgatory, which provides an excellent example of living with existential dread at the prospect of the future.
And yet, the fuzzy guitar riffs add a strange element of positivity. Even on songs such as Baby, You're Full of Shit, which is essentially calling someone out, there’s something rather soothing underneath the layers.
Dipping back into that grab bag of ‘90s influences, at times Soak manages to get in touch with the grungier side of things. Perhaps if they had been born a few decades ago, they would have been standing tall with bands such as Hole, especially with the vocal styles heard throughout.
This sense of playfulness versus vulnerability isn’t easy to piece together, but Soak aligns them like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They have found the tunnel into the parts of us we try to keep hidden, bringing peace to our melancholy. ‘If I Never Know You Like This Again’ shows us that reflecting on the experiences that have hurt us doesn’t always have to be a negative thing.
Soak Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed October 05 2022 - BRIGHTON Latest Music Bar
Thu October 06 2022 - BRISTOL Bristol Strange Brew
Fri October 07 2022 - LONDON EartH
Sun October 09 2022 - MANCHESTER YES (The Basement)
Mon October 10 2022 - EDINBURGH Caves
Tue October 11 2022 - DUBLIN Whelan's
Wed October 12 2022 - LIMERICK CITY Dolans Warehouse
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