Band from San Diego USA but are now based in LA for the past year, previously called The Muslims.
Overview
A band like the Soft Pack have been a long time coming indeed.
In a musical climate currently overflowing with flavour of the month hipsters, overblown pomp-rockers and fleeting pretenders to the pop throne, the San Diego- raised, LA-based quartet of Matt Lamkin (vocals, guitar), Matty McLoughlin (guitar), David Lantzman (bass) and Brian Hill (drums) play a refreshingly stripped-down, revved-up, no-frills brand of raucous rock and roll that, for all of its nods to the past, sounds, miraculously enough, sharply modern yet effortlessly cool, cutting a swathe through anything else out there in the process.
After only cementing the line up in February, The Soft Pack – originally called the Muslims – stormed CMJ in New York, packing out venues both big and small, generating breathless coverage in everything from the New York Times to Rolling Stone, and landing coveted supports with the likes of the Breeders, The Last Shadow Puppets, Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand. Now, the UK will get their first scintillating taste of The Soft Pack this side of the pond.
Having recently blazed their way across our fair city with their debut UK tour in February, during which they packed out venues and caused frenzied lines to snake around the block for miles, the LA quartet of Matt Lamkin, Matty McLoughlin, David Lantzmann and Brian Hill – known collectively as The Soft Pack – are now set to release an electrifying EP to further demonstrate exactly why they are currently one of 2009’s great white hopes.
The Year of the Ox is a big year for So-Cal’s The Soft Pack. With twelve stellar CMJ performances in October and a slew of packed shows across the US this winter under their belts, The Soft Pack have hit the ground running. Recognized for their “no bull shit” rock ‘n roll, energetic live shows and DIY aesthetic. Brooklyn – based label Kemado Records no doubt saw eye to eye with the band’s growing and enthusiastic fanbase when they signed them this January. And with this wave of success, The Soft Pack will release an EP The Muslims ep on March 10th, 2009 via all digital outlets. Fans who didn’t have a chance to purchase one of the band’s sold-out self-released 12”’s will get to crank up the volume on ten Soft Pack originals, including soon-to-be-classic “Extinction”.
The guys are also set to hit the road on an NME sponsored tour this spring with Friendly Fires and White Lies and will first stop off at SXSW for a bunch of highly anticipated shows.
Following on from their critically hailed debut release, the “Nightlife/ Bright Side” 7” single, listeners will now get the opportunity to experience more of The Soft Pack’s pure, unadulterated rock and roll thrills when the perennially cutting edge Merok release “Extinction”, a collection of some of their best material to date. Presented together, these 6 tracks – from the anthemic, teasingly provocative clarion call of the title track (with its refrain of “If you give me a gun/ I will point it at you”) to the urgent, riproaring “On My Time”, to the swaggering insouciance of closer “Call It A Day” – showcase rock and roll at its apogee, distilled to its very essence, stripped of any pretence and unadorned by any unnecessary frivolity; put simply, music at its most raw and exciting. Furthermore, in conjunction with the release, the band will also be returning to the UK in May for more rousing live dates.
Support
Have supported the following bands in USA
The Last Shadow Puppets - USA - October 2008
Bloc Party - USA - November 2008
The Breeders - USA - September 2008
Frandz Ferdernand - USA - December 2008
UK tour support
Franz Ferdinand - February 2009
On line live reviews:
http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-soft-pack/10073
http://www.nme.com/news/the-soft-pack/41347
http://www.nme.com/news/the-soft-pack/41467
Discography
Singles
UK - limited 7" single on Caspian Records February 2009
Tracklisting:
1. Nightlife
2. Brightside
EPs
USA 10 track EP - 1928 Records - title: The Muslims
Tracklisting:
1. Right And Wrong
2. Beside Myself
3. Call It A Day
4. Extinction
5. Nightlife
6. Future Rock
7. On My Time
8. Religion
9. American
10. Bright Side
UK 6 track EP - Merok - Title: Extinction / 11th May 2009 - Limited Edition EP
Tracklisting:
1. Extinction
2. Future Rock
3. Beside Myself
4. On My Time
5. Right and Wrong
6. Call It A Day
The band are now singed for North USA to Kemado Records. Currently on USA NME sold out tour tour with White Lies & Friendly Fires