The electronic duo Soft Metals will release their new LP Lenses July 16th via Captured Tracks. Ian Hicks and Patricia Hall are originally from Portland, OR, but currently reside in Los Angeles. A quick perusal of their Facebook page shows their personal interests are in the right place…Pro One, Juno 60, Juno 106, Jupiter 4, TR-808, TR-707, Micro Moog-to list a few. Drawing inspiration from electronic music of the 70’s and 80’s, Soft Metals are capable of traveling varied terrain between ambient, kosmische territories and more dance-oriented work. The duo’s compositional approach finds them building and sequencing their audio tracks before reinterpreting them thru the addition of vocals. “In the Air” sounds like a forgotten gem of 80’s synth-pop. The track begins from a classic “computerized” sounding arpeggiator sequence, before adding a throbbing kick drum, reverberating claps, and a funky, slowly filtering bass line. Hall’s vocals, when sung in their lower register can have a woozy narcotic effect, but she is also capable of soaring, etheric heights-all, though, delivered with the perfect amount of cool (the temperature), dreamy detachment.
