Soft Riot is Jack Duckworth, a former Vancouverite now living in London who traces his musical beginnings to the vibrant underground art-punk/hardcore scene emergent across the Canadian and American west coasts in the mid-90s. Duckworth was among the fixtures in that community’s northern outpost before helping to consolidate the early outpourings of a larger pre-“synth/new-wave” revival with his band Radio Berlin alongside others like Black Mountain, Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, etc, though his output has shifted at least a few degrees from that older sound.
His move to London is at the heart of his ongoing personal maintenance; the new atmosphere and cultural dynamic giving fuel to Soft Riot, previously just a concept. Originally released as a shorter EP on Vancouver imprint Panospria, 'No Longer Stranger' has been expanded by the addition of two re-recorded contemporaneous tracks into an eight song LP for its appearance on San Diego’s Volar Records. 'No Longer Stranger' is not late night club music, but the soundtrack to dimly lit rooms and dark street corners. Its futurist outlook is paired expertly with his well-explored interest in film, making for a uniquely cinematic listening experience. Pulsating synths add layers of drama while less menacing, semi-ambivalent vocals narrate the sonic experience.
Coming later in spring, Soft Riot is releasing an album of all new material entitled 'Fiction Prediction' via Other Voices in Europe and Volar in the US. Duckworth has a track along with Linea Aspera, Mild Peril, Női Kabát and others on the recently released and highly anticipated 'And You Will Find Them In The Basement 12”' from Desire Records.
