Heavy Jelly is the fourth album by English punk rock duo Soft Play, released on 19 July 2024 through BMG Rights Management. It is their first album under the name Soft Play, having been known as Slaves until 2022. The album received universal acclaim from critics.
| Heavy Jelly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 July 2024 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 29:17 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Producer | Jolyon Thomas | |||
| Soft Play chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 7/10[2] |
| DIY |  [3] |
| The Guardian |  [4] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[5] |
Heavy Jelly received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "universal acclaim".[1] Robin Murray of Clash described it as "wilder, faster, heavier, more frenetic, and downright hilarious than anything they've done together before. Both cartoonish and extreme, it's a cycle of songs that are both heavy duty and utterly ridiculous."[2] DIY's Lisa Wright called it "eleven tracks that condense everything brilliant about [Soft Play] in a manner that feels truly confident in its own idiosyncratic skin", with songs like "a snarling shout from the middle of mental health issues ('Isaac Is Typing...')" that sit "alongside a ridiculous ode to action hero 'John Wick' and a moving tribute to Isaac's recently-passed friend Bailey ('Everything and Nothing') in a way that somehow makes complete sense".[3]
Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian characterised Heavy Jelly as "an album full of very harsh, relatively atonal punk-metal – a mode that can get monotonous. Still, the highlights of Heavy Jelly are enormous; despite the despair, Soft Play's future has never looked brighter".[4] Reviewing the album for The Line of Best Fit, Steven Loftin wrote that "this new start feels fresh. Heavy Jelly could be the ravishing debut from some doe-eyed newcomers with the visceral energy they're touting this time around, except therein lies a hardened exterior."[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Isaac Holman, Laurence Vincent, and Jolyon Thomas. "All Things" written with Monk; "Everything and Nothing" written with Raven Bush.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Things" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Punk's Dead" | 3:11 |
| 3. | "Act Violently" | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Isaac Is Typing..." | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Bin Juice Disaster" | 1:55 |
| 6. | "Worms on Tarmac" | 2:02 |
| 7. | "John Wick" | 1:22 |
| 8. | "Mirror Muscles" | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Working Title" | 2:49 |
| 10. | "The Mushroom and the Swan" | 3:02 |
| 11. | "Everything and Nothing" | 3:57 |
| Total length: | 29:17 | |
Personnel
editSoft Play
- Isaac Holman – lead vocals (all tracks); drums, percussion, backing vocals (tracks 1–10)
- Laurie Vincent – electric guitar (all tracks); backing vocals (tracks 1, 3–10); programming, additional production (tracks 1, 4, 9); percussion (2), whistle (10); acoustic guitar, drums, mandolin, strings arrangement (11)
Additional contributors
- Jolyon Thomas – production, engineering (all tracks); synthesizer (tracks 1–10), programming (1, 3–10), guitar (1, 9, 11), acoustic guitar (2); drums, percussion (9); strings arrangement (11)
- Kevin Tuffy – engineering
- Erik Miles – engineering (tracks 2, 7–10)
- Owen Parker – engineering (track 2)
- Jason Stafford – studio assistance (tracks 1, 5, 7, 9–11)
- Robbie Williams – vocals (track 2)
- Raven Bush – violin, strings arrangement (track 11)
Charts
edit| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[6] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[7] | 3 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[8] | 1 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[9] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Heavy Jelly by Soft Play Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b Murray, Robin (18 July 2024). "Soft Play – Heavy Jelly | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b Wright, Lisa (19 July 2024). "Soft Play – Heavy Jelly review". DIY. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b Aroesti, Rachel (19 July 2024). "Soft Play: Heavy Jelly review – songs of love, loss and leaking bin bags". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b Loftin, Steven (18 July 2024). "Soft Play: Heavy Jelly Review – punk wit". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2024.