With a brand new album, and fresh off a handful of shows with the Grammy-winning band Phoenix, Lamkin says he’s looking forward to what’s ahead, and what it represents for the band as a full-time job.
“It should be a good year,” he says. “It’s gonna be exciting with a lot of touring, nonstop. It’s just so exciting that we get to go to different countries. I’d only really been to Mexico before.”
In the geographical space between the Arctic Monkeys and the Monkees is where you might find the Soft Pack. Singer Matt Lamkin sounds like Ray Davies of the Kinks at times, and the band behind him plays classic short-haired rock ’n’ roll, resulting in songs that you might think you first heard on a “Nuggets” box set if you didn’t know they were brand new.
“We listen to some of that garage stuff,” says Lamkin in the same breath he name-checks Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii.” For such varied influences, their self-titled debut, which came out earlier this week, achieves its consistency through its beach party energy.
“We record digitally,” says Lamkin, sounding proud that his band was able to use technology but keep the sound classic. “We’ve just been trying to keep it straight and not use too many effects and make it sound like when we’re playing live.”
If the album’s energy is any indication, the live show will be a raucous good time. And speaking of good times, the San Diego band’s upcoming shows are free, which they hope will create a fiesta-like atmosphere. Lamkin says the party doesn’t stop there, either —they’ve been reviewing essays for a contest to play a party at a fan’s home.
“The funniest one we got so far was like, ‘Come play at our boss’s house,’ as like, a prank,” says Lamkin. “So then there were a bunch of other people who wrote in like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I have the same boss. It’ll be a great place for you to play.’ I couldn’t tell if it was passive aggressive against their boss, or what.”
The Soft Pack
Friday, 11:59 p.m.
Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow St.
Free, 212-253-0036
www.cake-shop.com
pat.healy@metro.us |