New Soft As Snow But Warm Inside: Asymmetry EP

Soft As Snow But Warm Inside continues to avoid falling for the predictable trap laid out in their name – on new EP Asymmetry, they continue to not sound anything like My Bloody Valentine. Unless you count the fact the duo keep their vocals relatively low in the mix (and even that is a stretch), Soft As Snow is pure synth-pop, everything clear and straightforward. The title track is vapory but far from shoegaze, a dreamy swirl of synths and vocals but with a clear drum-machine beat…and a finale that features percussive fireworks (it almost sounds like the sort of digi percussion used in EDM…albeit without ever dissolving into pure chaos). “Isometry” is even more uncomplicated – it is the most clean-cut song the pair have ever put together, a stab at straightforward pop that achieves the simple job of being very catchy. The highlight, though, is a cover of Dannish outfit Mew’s 2003 song “Symmetry,” which features vocals from Tokyo producer/Slow-Beach vocalist Kai Takahashi. It is a fidgety update of the original, trading in the somewhat predictable drama of the original for something shakier and ultimately more intriguing. Get the album here, or listen below.