Track Of The Week

 This week’s track of the week is one of my all time favourite songs. The 7-minute epic ‘neptune’ by SOAK was released in 2022 as part of their album ‘If I never know you like this again’. 

I had the privilege of first being introduced to SOAK in April 2022 when they opened for Lucy Dacus at the Irish Centre in Leeds, and something about them was immediately captivating to me. I took a short video and told myself I would research them later. Those of you who have discovered a favourite band this way will know that I am honestly in disbelief with younger me. She saw SOAK and only took one short video! Anyway, much of my time was taken up with waiting for their new album to come out, and it didn’t disappoint. In particular, I fell in love with ‘neptune’, the album’s penultimate and longest track. 

This one is captivating both lyrically and instrumentally, with one of the greatest moments being at the end of the verses when the track’s signature motif is played on the piano for the first time. Something about the movement in that line is just totally breathtaking. In addition to this, the lyrics about SOAK’s fond memories of the friends and lover they used to know in their hometown perfectly convey the warmth of being known ‘Hearing your laugh from the next room / I’d know it anywhere / I’m right where I’m supposed to be’. This teamed with the production (lots of fuzzy guitars) give the song the quality of a warm fuzzy memory, and while it is bittersweet I personally would suggest that the sweetness overcomes the bitterness in the end. 

So, in short, I’d recommend this to you if you like fuzzy guitars and reminiscing on your youth. At 7 minutes long, it is a commitment but I promise you it’s worth your while.