Delta Sleep — Soft Sounds (Live Sessions) Review

Throughout the album, we’re treated to much more of the same: beautiful dreamlike soundscapes and an environment that makes the lyrics feel increasingly like poetry on wheels

It seems as though being in transit has always held great importance to Delta Sleep — the math-rock quartet currently based down in Brighton. Their sophomore full-length Ghost City was the result of embarking on an international tour, with recording sessions taking place in Italy. In 2019, while taking a break from the touring, they found themselves back in the studio again, leading to the release of Younger Years. And here, in the midst of a global pandemic where that kind of international touring simply couldn’t take place and lead to such inspiration, they’ve revealed a 4-year project that brings them straight back to the global feeling while also inviting us along.

Soft Sounds is a 10-track project, recorded over a four year span, and serves as a stripped back introduction to the beautiful back catalogue of a band who have captivated the British emo and math-rock scene over the last decade since their inception in Canterbury. Described by their Oxford-based label Big Scary Monsters as a ‘celebration of the places [they’ve] been lucky enough to visit’, each track was recorded on tour. The geographical background spans locations varying across Texas, New York, California, Turkey, Paris, Tokyo, and back home in Brighton and Frome.

The stripped back approach really suits Delta Sleep. The record opens with the soft fingerpicking intro of Afterimage (Otto), one of several tracks that originally appeared on Ghost City. Whether it’s a result of the approach, or simply the timing of this release, the lyrics seem to carry a new weight on Soft Sounds. “Find home, somewhere so far away” quickly whisks the imagination away to the thought of being on the move once again. 

But, in all fairness, the stripping back doesn’t impact Afterimage too much at all with it being a fairly down-tempo, quiet track in the first place. The record’s second track Strongthany (Tokyo) brings in a very different vibe to its original Twin Galaxies counterpart. Here, the approach leads to a quieter take, whose funky rhythms might not feel out of place on a record from Japanese math-rockers toe. Strongthany in its new form just sounds so… effortlessly beautiful. And, as the synth intensifies later on in the song, it’s one you can easily lose yourself in the groove of.

Throughout the album, we’re treated to much more of the same: beautiful dreamlike soundscapes and an environment that makes the lyrics feel increasingly like poetry on wheels. From Dream Thang (Brooklyn): “Don’t know nothing, of where these sewers leads / I’m just guessing it’s to a brighter place / Where time moves slower, and work is off the clock / Where thoughts are happier and never under watch”, which serves as another great example of attention-grabbing lyricism — more pertinent now than on the original. A stunning track.

With this approach, the charm could’ve worn off after a few songs, taking the novelty with it to be replaced with the monotony of a project that never goes anywhere new. But Delta Sleep seem to steer clear of that, which is a testament to their songwriting and cohesion, as they continually sprinkle something new as Soft Sounds winds out. Sans Soleil (Paris) is another track benefits from its re-imagination. Now without the atmosphere brought on in the full studio version from Ghost City, it feels less abrasive in its intro. In its new form, it sounds like it would slot in perfectly amongst a collection of Flatsound acoustic tracks and without the drum-track, the sombre guitar-line that weaves throughout is really allowed to sing in a new way. The record’s closer, A Casa (Brighton), stands as the only piece of new material. Tying up this mini-Greatest Hits, A Casa was written and recorded over the quarantine period, and offers a shift in perspective, as well as a small window of what may come on their third LP, which they’ve confirmed is “well underway”.

Over the course of several weeks, the band released each track with an accompanying video on youtube, only adding further wonder to the beauty of this album (it’s really bloody beautiful). Shot on location alongside the recording of the tracks, the videos mostly just show the band playing the track but the series does also feature some stunning visuals. Three Ghosts was recorded out on the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey, and the video occupies the form of a short film created by vocalist and guitarist Devin Yuceil, merely soundtracked by the Younger Years track. Shots of the crystal clear ocean are punctuated with the innocence of children playing. Children who return for the track, seemingly providing the beautiful choral vocals over Yuceil’s guitar. Made up of shots from 2016 and 2019, the film ends with a parting monologue by an older gentleman discussing recollection and reminiscence.

Dev hoped that the record wouldn’t be held back by any imperfections and that, if anything, it would be these imperfections that would lend a charm to the ‘musical postcards’ that comprise Soft Sounds. And I think Delta Sleep have done a brilliant job in achieving this. Soft Sounds feels like a musical antidote and a vehicle of the mind, allowing us to see both the locations and creative talent that inspire the band.