photo by Chantel Elder
Sacramento outfit Soft Science presents their new single ‘Fade’, a shimmering meditation on memory, impermanence, and the quiet comfort of human connection. Carried by sweeping imagery of distant shores, ocean tides, and fading light, the song drifts between reflection and acceptance, exploring the way moments slip into the past even as they continue to shape us.
Intimate and expansive, ‘Fade’ is a poignant reminder that beauty often resides in fleeting moments. This is the third single from their fifth album ‘Sand’, released via Shelflife Records in North America and Spinout Nuggets in the UK. ‘Fade’, blends melancholy and warmth, inviting listeners into a space where memory, love, and imagination converge, long after the final note has disappeared into the distance.
Capturing the push and pull between holding on and moving forward, “Fade” reflects on how memories change over time. The verses revisit moments from the past, while the chorus settles into the space between what’s gone and what remains. Set against expansive sonic textures, lyrically, the song finds comfort in human connection, suggesting that some relationships can provide a sense of stability even as everything else changes.
Made up of Katie Haley (lead vocals, percussion), Matt Levine (lead guitar), Ross Levine (guitar, backing vocals), Tony Cale (drums), Becky Cale (bass, backing vocals), and Hans Munz (electronics), Soft Science pairs shimmery atmosphere with a sense of restless momentum in their signature blend of dream pop, shoegaze and indie rock, merging the hypnotic, melodic and relatable.
“This was one of the first song ideas Ross came up with for the album. I was immediately drawn to the core of the song as it is ethereal pop but, at the same time, it has a driving force,” says Katie Haley, adding ‘”When I was coming up with the lyrics, I imagined this song playing in the car on a romanticized road trip, driving along the coast or something like that. This is one of our favorites to play live from ‘Sand’; we all picked it up really easily and it has an energy that feels good to perform.”
For Ross Levine, the song began with a classic “four on the floor” drum pattern, using its upbeat pulse as a counterpoint to a laid-back, dreamy vocal. Reverb, Matt Levine’s guitar on the bridge, and Katie’s harmonies helped shape the track, while the opening lyric “foreign lands” led Ross toward a broader reflection on the accumulation of change and the way the past eventually becomes memory.
“Matt’s guitar line on the bridge and Katie’s harmony on the verses are some of the high points on this track. The lyrical inspiration for the first line, “foreign lands”, was from something I heard someone say: “The past is a foreign country”. I thought the concept was really interesting. I got me thinking about the constant nature of change and how, over time, small changes accumulate to a moment where you realize everything has changed and what was is just a memory,” says Ross Levine.
‘Fade’ arrives on the heels of ‘Understand’, a buoyant Lush-infused track laced with a glimmer of hope, and the propulsive lead track, ‘Spinning’, which captures the dizzying frustration of being caught in an emotional loop of the same conversations and actions.
Across the ten tracks on ‘Sand’, Soft Science expand their sound while retaining the melodic clarity and emotional resonance that define their work. The album examines how love, memory, and identity are shaped by change, while asking what it means to stay connected in an uncertain world. Across ten tracks, the band balances layered soundscapes with a driving energy, delivering their most focused and emotionally resonant collection of songs to date.
With ethereal vocals, twin 12-string guitars, bass, drums, and synthesizers, the band layers luminous melodies, celestial harmonies, and propulsive rhythms into opulent, transportive songs. As showcased via KEXP sessions and noted by critics, Soft Science pairs melodic hooks with a reflective edge, creating music that is both accessible and richly textured.
Soft Science’s latest album ‘Lines’ (2023) was preceded by ‘Maps’ (2018), ‘Detour’ (2013), and ‘Highs and Lows’ (2011), along with a split 7” with The Luxembourg Signal (2015) and The House of Love cover ‘I Don’t Know Why I Love You’ and a rendition of Northern Picture Library’s ‘Paris’ (2018).
Achieving critical acclaim, Soft Science has done live sessions at KEXP, WFMU, and Part-Time Punks, and performed at New York Popfest, Paris Popfest, The Big Takeover’s 35th Anniversary show, Schellraiser Festival, Tremolo Fest and Dreamgaze PDX, apart from select US and European shows.
As of August 18, ‘Fade’ is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. On September 4, the ‘Sand’ album will be released on CD and vinyl via Shelflife Records (US) and Spinout Nuggets (UK).
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