soft cheese’s latest release, SFTCHZ, feels like a tender love letter sent across state lines. Recorded entirely by Hugh Jepson in his Minneapolis apartment between September 24 and June 25, the album radiates a personal, intimate energy that reflects both longing and connection. With proceeds going to the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), this organisation is also outspoken in demanding divestment of institutions in Minnesota from Israel’s apartheid and genocide in Palestine. Find out more at www.miracmn.com
Musically, SFTCHZ leans into shoegazey textures, grunge-tinged guitars, and dreamy soundscapes, capturing the bittersweet nostalgia of missing close friends (my favourite genre) while channeling the raw textures of ’90s indie influences.
The album opens with “Big Tuna,” an understated introduction that quietly sets the tone for the seven-track journey. There’s a sense of bubbling-under-the-surface anticipation in the way the song drifts, establishing an intense througline that carries through much of the album. Songs like “Milk” and “Blowhole” offer calm, soothing guitar moments that feel introspective. It’s in these tracks that the listener senses Hugh’s reflective approach, a minimalistic yet emotionally resonant production style that allows the melodies to breathe and linger. This is where the longing for your loved ones is evident. There is feeling in the songs.
In contrast, tracks like “Hamburger” and “Panama” deliver moments of thunderous unpredictability. “Hamburger” erupts into a confrontational, almost chaotic midsection, breaking free from the gentler shoegaze haze, while “Panama” mirrors that intensity with a ferocity. Despite these spikes in energy, the album maintains a cohesive quality, blurring the lines between its softer and louder moments. In many ways, the songs’ interchangeable vibes create a flowing narrative, as if each track is a different page in the same book where the only constant is change.
It is “Wrestlemania,” however, that stands out for me as the emotional centerpiece of SFTCHZ. Its gentle, intimate sound embodies the album’s essence most fully, coming across as a direct musical missive to Hugh’s bandmates in Portland. The track’s softness is emblematic of the entire album: nostalgic, heartfelt, and unpolished most deliberately and charmingly. SFTCHZ is a testament to softcheese’s ability to craft music that feels simultaneously dreamy, grungey, and shoegazey, proving once again that their emotionally honest approach to songwriting continues to resonate deeply with listeners. Moreover, soft cheese is to be applauded for making music that 1) makes music for a cause and 2)is full of longing for friends – softcheese, you have a fan in me!
Written by Nthatile Mavuso
