CRUX (ORANGE + BLACK SPLATTER VINYL)

Crux is the latest released by Soft Riot, the singular synth project by Glasgow-based Canadian synth auteur Jack Duckworth (also known as JJD). Prolific in his steady stream of releases and frequent live performances, Crux follows up on the back of recent albums such as No. (2023) and When Push Comes To Shove (2019).

After the release of the previous album No., a personal decision was made after the exhaustive release promotion and gig schedule ' to stop writing for a while and wait for the next creative wave that was sure to come.

While busy working on other creative projects as a 'palette cleanser", a full fifteen months would pass before the lightbulb of inspiration turned itself back on. Leading up to that moment an assessment was made to what was working and what as not working in both writing and performance, leading a lengthy tome of scribbled notes. The result was a patient wait to be able to get fully emersed into engaged frame of mind and to muster the right energy to pull out the songs that comprise this nine track album. The result is a collection of songs where many of the tracks just flowed out subconsciously without over-thinking or over-labouring any of the tracks. After a few years of trying to tap into this rich headspace, it could be said he finally found it.

And after a string of self-produced albums over the course of a decade that showcased Soft Riot''''s sound design skills from accumulative years of experience, with Crux the decision was taken to go down a different avenue ' opting to dial in the final mixes with Owen Pratt, formerly of London-based experimental electronic groups N?i Kabat and Uncanny Valley and an in-demand underground producer with credits that include Lebanon Hanover, Qual, Chaos International and PC World as well as having done live concert recordings for artists diverse as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Lana Del Rey.

On the surface Crux is a continuation of Soft Riot'''s evolution ' a singular and intriguing take on elements of classic synthesizer music that seems familiar on the surface, pulling in elements of synth pop, minimal wave, darkwave, new wave, italo, EBM and post-punk by an artist who has been active in many different guises of the ongoing 'post-punk revival" since the eve of the turn of the millenium. With that much time involved in an over-arching sub-genre and seeing many trends and styles come and go, it has allowed the artist to fine-tune his craft with an emphasis on creating a unique sound.

Overall the songs on Crux are given space to cruise more, and dip into more minimalism than previous albums ' an aspect of the music the artist had struggled with in the past but was crafted into place after years of experience. The whole album works out a strategic balance of space, rhythm, sound design, subtle humour, lyrical interplay, mild psychedelia and an enhancement of the aspects of the music that makes Soft Riot what is it.

Starting with the angular and driving rhythmic workout of 'Moving Out Of The Black" and closing with the expansive and layered 'Ghostwriter" that could end up on any given number of dancefloors, as mentioned before the tracks came about naturally based on intuition. Five tracks in we have the sinister yet sensual 'Getting To Know You" ' a track the artist would say came about from a dream one night and a subconscious feeling. Some might better know this as "magic".