St. Petersburg, Florida-based instrumental band Soft Cuff showcase their dynamic psych-groove sound on debut album Thick Heat, drawing from funk, soul, jazz, and psychedelic rock while emphasizing the collaborative interplay of the band’s five members. Formed from a reunion between longtime friends Brian Schanck and Mikey Bostinto in late 2023, the project has since expanded its palette through the contributions of Shane Schuch, Tina Sanchez, and Kev Ha.
“Pico Suave” opens the album with hypnotic allure, weaving a playful percussive energy alongside balmy guitar tones. The serenely melodic flow unfolds with gentle precision, as a moody bass crawl melds seamlessly with consistent percussion and caressing guitar work. This scene-setting highlight flows into “Me? I’ll Have That,” where a similar percussive pace interacts with more expressive guitar work and funk-tinged bass. Glimmering keys add to the delectable mix, and an especially absorbing two-minute turn unveils a climactic direction, where click-clacking percussion swells with dynamic guitars, shifting between twangy textures, soaring elongation, and a concluding infectious pulse. Thick Heat opens with a very strong one-two punch and never wavers in quality songwriting and performance from there.
Another standout, second single “Rudy,” embraces the psychedelic realm in its colorful organ presence and dynamic guitars, spanning from momentum-driving twangs to momentary flashes of jumpy vigor. The stop-start sensation around the two-minute mark, where sparse doses of guitar appear, develops into a renewed expanse of guitars, keys, and rhythms. The ensuing “Short Moves” then shifts into a lusher introspection, where sleepy keys and serene rhythms become adorned by debonair trickles of guitar. The first half of the album excels at showcasing a band capable of versatile tonal ranges, all while emphasizing melodic power on a regular basis.
The album’s second half continues the impressive level of musicianship. The release’s lengthiest effort at just over five minutes long, “Thick Heat” feels like a cut from a ’70s film, fitting for either a spy thriller or an adult feature. Suave warbles of guitar present with magnetic, sophisticated qualities, while glistening effects and spacey synths contribute to molding a wonderfully exotic soundscape. Subsequent track “What’s A Question Mark Sound Like?” represents the album’s final single, serving as a tour-de-force of the band’s colorful palette, venturing across funky guitar riffs, psychedelic keys, and soulful rock charisma.
The album concludes with its first single, “Scorsese’s Dream,” fully embracing that spy/heist-like feeling in its brisk bass-ready movements and layers of guitar, ranging from trickling moodiness to pulses of ardor. Its bouncy bass line drives with consistent appeal, while the guitars expand from ascending licks to a slowed-down tempo around the midpoint before launching into a harder-rocking anthemic finish. Full of style and impressive musicianship, Thick Heat is a thorough full-length achievement from Soft Cuff.
