By the end of the first hook of their April-released debut single, “Cartwheels”, it was clear that Soft Launch have the charm, talent and brevity to be one of the biggest bands in the country. It’s mature, exciting songwriting, seamlessly technical yet breezily bohemian.

Made up of five semi-familiar faces, who tried their luck in different bands or as solo artists but ultimately stumbled across each other and converged, the Anglo-Irish outfit walk a marvellous tightrope of artfulness and commercial appeal, of idiosyncrasy and relatability. They’re mania inducing as well. Just head to one of their shows—of which they have done many, building a loyal following before even officially sharing a song—and you’ll find a sold-out crowd, young and rapturous, singing every word back at them. Further spectacle comes with the continuous movement of the band members on stage—quite literally—as they interchange instruments at will during a set. It’s undeniably impressive and damn good fun.

Soft Launch are now four singles deep—the aforementioned “Cartwheels” was followed by perhaps the band’s most impressive cut so far, “Piano Hands”, then the moody “In My Bed” and most recently the gloriously groovy “Milkshakes”. And they show no signs of slowing down; although nothing announced, there’s the whiff of a debut EP in the air. In the meantime, they’ll continue to pack out venues of increasing size, and are currently embarking on a sold-out UK tour that climaxes at London’s The Garage on 15th October.

One of Wonderland’s favourite new acts of the year, it seemed only right to connect with the five members for a quick catch up, talking standout shows, sonic chemistry, and statement releases.

Listen to “Milkshakes”…

Read the exclusive chat…

How did the forming of Soft Launch come about? 
Soft Launch came about after a series of unfortunate accidents. We’d been making music together in different combinations within the group before putting any kind of label on it. A few songs later and we had to ask ourselves: ‘What are we? Who are we? Where do we come from?’ We didn’t know the answers to any of those questions, but we did know how to party, and that’s what birthed the Soft Launch sound.

What is it about the bond between the five of you that works so well? Where does the sonic chemistry stem from?
Our contractual obligations and shared love of good and bad music. We all bring in our own influences and flavours into our music. We work well in different combinations of the band. One day you might leave the studio with something half finished, come in a couple days later and someone else in the band has finished it. It’s easy.

Who and what has influenced—and continues to influence—you as a band? 
Our mothers, and your mothers. And The Beatles, and their dads.

You’ve been in previous bands, and have a relative amount of experience before embarking on this new adventure. How have your respective brushes with the industry been? 
They’ve given us insight into how this world works. We’ve seen behind the curtain, we’ve met the Wizard of Oz, and he stinks. We feel a lot more equipped to do this now, touring extensively previous to Soft Launch has made being on the road a lot easier.

What did you learn through your own musical journey’s that you’ve been able to incorporate into the Soft Launch ethos and pathway?
Ben learned Eb Major 9 and the rest of us learned to listen to him play it.

You’re currently on tour, and performing live feels apexian to your identity as a band. Does it come naturally to you all? Have you had a standout live show so far? 
A fun fact is that Limmer had his apexian removed when he was 14. This gave him the extraordinary ability to grow a moustache. Our favourite show so far was our headline show in Oslo in London in July, it was great to see fans singing our songs back for the first time. Normally they are singing other bands songs while we play.

You change instruments on stage—why? 
Because we all want to play everything all the time. 

With you all being multi-instrumentalists and also taking turns as vocalist, what is the creative process? Does it differ each song? How important is fluidity and collaboration within the process? 
Sometimes someone brings an idea, a riff, a song section, or even a whole song. We usually track stuff down and then figure out whose voice fits what the song is trying to say. Because our process is so influenced by our production, tracks may start in one genre and end up a totally different vibe. 

Soft Launch is an understatement—you burst onto the scene with “Cartwheels”. Why did you choose that track as your debut opus? Did you expect it to do as well as it has done? 
It’s immediate. Feels like a punch in the gut. OUCH!

Each of your singles so far have an a distinctive sonic identity and pluck from a variety of sounds—how would you define the Soft Launch essence? What lies at the core of the sonic ethos?
We would say strong scents of vanilla and also friendship, and lavender! The sonic ethos is a tangible manifestation of our own philosophical enquiries into the human and faecal matter of the universe itself. 

Congrats on your latest single, “Milkshakes”. Talk us through that one—from its making to its meaning?
Milkshakes was made in an empty room in an industrial estate in Brighton. Henry and Ben made most of the song while Josh drank pints. Josh proceeded to come back to said empty room around midnight and suggested that the song was perfect, aside from needing some sort of line about not being able to take this shit today. The pints, much like the song, were creamy and Milkshakes’ meaning has yet to be discovered or in fact, uncovered. 

It’s undeniable that indie/guitar music is undergoing a reinvention in the UK. Do you think it can reach the heights of its past? 
I think as a general rule people are becoming taller, so we have high hopes for indie music. Especially because you can play it anywhere, indie garden, indie kitchen and way up indie sky indie plane. 

Apart from yourselves, who do you think are the UK bands to watch right now?
Apart from us being half Irish (the good half) we are excited by a couple of acts right now. We love Kaeto, Mary In The Junkyard, and we’ve recently seen the Irish artist Sexy Tadhg playing at Electric Picnic who blew our minds. 

Any band from history for you to play a support slot for—who you picking? 
Oasis.

What’s next? 
Back to yours. Room for 5?