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May 22, 2024 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Derek Farr

Soft No is a new band from Philadelphia-based musicians Scott Signorino, Allie Lannutti, Austin Lotz, Jon Martello, and Kate Lowe. The quintet have each played in a series of bands around the Philadelphia DIY scene, with roots in hardcore, metal, alt rock, and shoegaze. The band came together last year, beginning as a remote collaboration between Signorino and Lotz. The pair then joined up with their friends and bandmates to fill out the lineup, with Lannutti on vocals and bass, Martello on drums, Lowe on keys, and Signorino and Lotz on guitar.

The band draws from the heavy and distorted side of shoegaze and ‘90s alt rock, all while weaving together an array of influences from each member. Meanwhile, many of the band’s members played new instruments while recording their debut EP. The resulting project emphasizes their collaborative and exploratory bent, building the band upon on an intuitive collective chemistry. The band’s five-song debut self-titled EP is due out on August 3rd and today they’re sharing the record’s lead single, “Take Your Word,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Take Your Word” is a gnarled and propulsive introduction to the band, carried by thick layers of guitar, a rumbling rhythm section, and a strong melodic undercurrent. The track is full of searing instrumentation and blunt fury, but Lannutti’s vocals and tense lyricism also slot well into its atmospheric portions. The result is a turbulent contrast that rises to towering heights with the track’s climax, a moment that proves both magnetic and explosive.

As Lannutti explains, “‘Take Your Word’ is an amalgamation of (mostly) dudes with fragile egos I’ve encountered over the years who I chose to listen to, against my better judgment. Exes, coworkers. I had a long track record of being offered unsolicited life advice by these people. It’s always presented with so much confidence, when they have no idea what they’re talking about. It’s a facade of ‘I’m just trying to help.’ Instead of standing up for myself, just to be polite, I’d hear them out. I’ve kept myself in these types of situations for way longer than I should have, and this is a song about uninviting this type of bullshit in my life”

She continues, saying “The song focuses on one of my biggest pet peeves about these people - the fact that they are all seemingly incapable of uttering the words, ‘I don’t know’ and instead, they deflect the conversation to avoid having to admit that. That shit drives me crazy. They spread misinformation and rely on people just taking them at their word. This song is me calling them out. I’ll be the first to admit when I don’t know something. Let’s be honest, we’re all out here just faking it til we make it. It doesn’t make you weak or stupid. It makes you humble and honest, and that’s how you learn and grow.

Musically, this was a fun song to work on. The music was written by Austin, and when he sent us the first demo with just guitar and drum tracks, there was definitely some gritty, raw energy that I was like, oh this is gonna be an angry song. I wanted to play up that anger but position it next to an almost taunting, teasing vocal style during the more atmospheric, subdued parts of the song that Austin had created. Once we all played the song together for the first time, the aggression and heaviness just came through and really launched the song.”

Listen to the track below. The Soft No EP is due out on August 3rd via Abandon Everything Records. Pre-order the EP here.