THE SOFT PINK TRUTH - CAN SUCH DELIGHTFUL TIMES GO ON FOREVER?

The Soft Pink Truth is Drew Daniel, also of Matmos with his husband M.C. Schmidt. Based in Baltimore where he is a professor in the Department of English at Johns Hopkins University, Daniel is acclaimed for his ability to merge highly conceptual material with music rich in feeling. The Soft Pink Truth albums share little stylistically except for an affinity for exquisite arrangements and lush compositions that transform searching questions into full body music. On Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever?, The Soft Pink Truth grafts chamber music and electronic music into a beguiling new hybrid, drafting an international cast of collaborators from Turkey, Sweden, Italy, Spain and the United States. On the album, Daniel radically rethinks his approach to crafting music, and the results evoke mid-20th century film soundtracks, diverse traditions of minimalism, and the formal language of pop.

In answering the central question “Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever?”, Daniel probes the limitations of pleasure in the midst of our dystopian contemporary landscape. What kind of solace can music offer in the face of the rising tides of fascism, authoritarianism, cruelty and genocide? No compositions could be adequate without direct anti-fascist action, but in defiance of an increasingly brutal world, this suite embraces the values of intimacy, community and unapologetic beauty as idealized counterpoints to a damaged, ugly present. Drawing upon poetry, myth, and compositional traditions while exploring throughlines between the electronic dancefloor and the classical conservatory, this album hopes to provide a makeshift queer refuge in the face of surrounding collapse. Unabashedly emotional and vulnerable despite its lavish colors, it marks a surprisingly delicate metamorphosis from a restless musical deviant.