Soft

Scouring the Internet reveals very little biographical information about Soft. In fact, what background does exist — the quintet is from Brooklyn, has supposedly been a band since 2003 and is infamous for practicing instead of playing live shows — is entirely generic. But this vague history is somehow fitting, as Gone Faded, the band's years-in-the-making debut, rips off nearly every massively popular '90s Britpop band: Oasis ("You Make Me Wanna Die"), Stone Roses ("Great Spirit"), the Verve ("Droppin") and Teenage Fanclub ("Higher"). But this isn't to say that Faded is bad — to the contrary, its psychedelic feedback squalls, epic guitar crunches and heavenly falsetto vocal spirals are incredibly catchy and rife with refreshingly wide-eyed pop aspirations.