If It's Too Loud...

Photo courtesy of the band Soft Skies Inc, aka the Philadelphia band consisting of twin brothers Martin and Ryan Rex who were in Boston band Lockgroove, typically make dream pop, but their latest single goes a little bit heavier than that genre usually gets. "The Point" is a driving alt-rock song that shows off the band's 90's origins. It's a driving song that grooves quite hard. It's reminding me of bands in the late 90's that were making rock music that you could dance to. Even though I'm comparing "The Point" to music from the 90's, it doesn't truly sound like a throwback song. Soft Skies Inc sound current on their latest single while it does have it's roots in that decade. This is a fun sounding one, despite the song's subject matter. Ryan Rex says of his band's latest single: “‘The Point’ is about when something that once saved you starts to drown you instead. It’s about the beautiful kind of destruction you can’t see...

Photo by Chris McLaughlin Soft Skies Inc, the current musical project of Philadelphia's Ryan and Martin Rex (ex-Lockgroove), has released a new single that's a dream come true. "Sin Some / Lose Some" is going to hit a musical sweet spot for anyone who loves mid-90's power pop. It's a stunning example of power pop meets jangle pop, with fantastic harmonies mixing with jangly and fuzzy guitars. This one sounds like a favorite forgotten song you would have discovered on a sampler CD you picked up from a record store counter in 1996. It's a hazy song that sucks you in as soon as the first guitar notes hit, and pulls you in even deeper once the vocals start. This one is reminding me a lot of artists like Matthew Sweet and The Lemonheads. Ryan Rex says of his band's latest single: “More than anything, I want people to find their own meaning in the song. But for me, it’s about the chaos of living a life that’s been off the rails for too long – trying to wrest...

Photo by Chris McLaughlin Soft Skies Inc are the Philadelphia based band of identical twins Ryan and Martin Rex, formerly of Boston's Lockgroove back in the 90's. Their latest single, "Your Small Army," fits into the dream pop category, but with some additional sounds and genres mixed in. This new single has all of the dreamy and space like feel needed to be a dream pop song. It's quite lovely, and almost lulls the listener in with it's beauty and gentleness. But there is also some mid 90's alt-rock just as it started going mainstream sounds to it, kind of like a band like Toad the Wet Sprocket or Gin Blossoms. Soft Skies Inc don't just keep the gentle sounds of the 90's, though. There is also some heavier, noisier guitar that pops up every so often, bordering on a more grunge sound. "Your Small Army" is one of the more compelling dream pop singles we've heard here in a while. Ryan Rex says of his band's new single: “I always want...

Photo by Chris McLaughlin You might remember identical twins Ryan and Martin Rex from 90's Boston band Lockgroove. Now based out of Philadelphia, the brothers are back with Soft Skies Inc. Their latest single, "Sooner or Later," is just drenched in early alt-rock (or college rock, I should probably say) mixed with modern dream pop. It's the type of song that is going to resonate with fans of bands like The Sundays and early R.E.M., as well as fans of newer bands like Beach House. The song is fuzzy and dissonant, but in a softer, more gentle way. With "Sooner or Later, Soft Skies Inc are taking nostalgia and updating it for today. Ryan Rex says of the band's latest single: “‘Sooner Or Later’ is filled with bittersweet nostalgia for a time in one’s life that was innocent and free. I think no matter your circumstances, most can point to a period, usually younger years, where the world feels open, limitless, profound – before ‘real life gets in’. The song both ly...