Soft Kill (USA)

(http://www.cvltnation.com/interview-soft-kill-new-choke-lp-details/)

Over the Summer of this year, Portland postpunkers Soft Kill embarked on their first headliner tour of the US. The dates with Vancouver-cum-San Diego postpunk act Underpass were a huge success, and the band debuted new material off their upcoming LP, Choke. (That album will be released in November, 2016 on Profound Lore.) Choke is an eight-song long player that features the Chameleons’ own Mark Burgess as collaborator and singer on at least one track, “On the Inside” (one of the standout tracks on this upcoming album, to be sure).

It’s hard to believe the band has been around for 6 years, even if some of that was spent on hiatus. So far, the band has three LPs and about half a dozen singles and EPs, and they’re one of the higher profile bands in what some call either the underground postpunk revivalist or “postpunk continuum” movement – meaning, postpunk never died, it just continues on, of course. Singer Tobias Sinclair’s former work with goth band Blessure Grave informs a lot of his vocal delivery – somber, disaffected, and echoey vocals complemented by a deep and atmospheric guitar. Add in the powerhouse drumming of Maximillion Avila of bands as diverse as Atriarch, Antioch Arrow, the Chromatics, and Final Conflict, and you have a recipe for an incredible live performance – something I’ve been able to witness myself, multiple times now. Good stuff, those Soft Kill live shows. Choke is an incredible tour-de-force of dark and moody postpunk that will prove to be one of the best albums of 2016.