Matmos’ Drew Daniel and MC Schmidt have recounted how they originally met on Halloween, and musically, they still resemble the couple that goes all-in on a haunted house every year—across more than a dozen albums and countless side projects, they’ve maintained their kooky charm, commitment to DIY craft, and eerie tastes. They could mic a bowl of peeled grapes and convince you that they’re witch eyeballs. Daniel’s dance music project the Soft Pink Truth has carried the same mischievous spirit, flipping covers of black metal, hardcore, and crust-punk classics into glitzy disco and house.
While the Soft Pink Truth has often felt like Daniel trying on different ingenious costumes, 2020’s Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? was framed not around genre but instead around a thought-provoking question. Released at the isolating peak of the early pandemic, and framed as a response to the global rise of fascism, it took the form of a soft blur of ambient, house, jazz, and chamber music—a somber salve against darkness. Daniel created the record by collaborating virtually with friends, imbuing the dynamic musical interplay with an inspiring sense of community. Now, with the effervescent follow-up Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This?, Daniel successfully recaptures the lightning-in-a-bottle spirit of those sessions while boldly moving the Soft Pink Truth in a new direction, shaping kinetic performances into joyous disco marathons.
Where the preceding album took its title from a quote by Paul the Apostle, Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This? is indebted to the philosophical wisdom of a random clubgoer. Years ago, Daniel heard a woman ask the question while watching his friend DJ, and the funny, elusive phrase lived on as a kind of mantra. True to form, the new album is brighter and lighter than its predecessor, each sprawling disco and deep-house epic introducing its own special lineup and trajectory. Once again, Schmidt is joined by pianist Koye Berry, singer Angel Deradoorian, and saxophonists Andrew Bernstein (Horse Lords) and John Berndt, while longtime Matmos collaborators including guitarist Mark Lightcap and bassist Jason Willett add to the fine-tuned band. Ulaş Kurugüllü’s glitzy string arrangements hang off tracks like streamers; Obadias Guerra brings a dreamy harp to the joyful closing cover of Willie Hutch’s “Now That It’s All Over”; and noise artist John Wiese shows up with a well-timed crash of broken glass. Meanwhile, Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner star on the excellent one-two punch of “La Joie Devant La Mort” and “Wanna Know,” each getting a disco-diva spotlight that completely transforms their distinct voices.
While this summer’s preceding mini-album Was It Ever Real? introduced this new direction (along with a scintillating cover of Coil’s “The Anal Staircase”), Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This? sidesteps that record’s careful sequencing in favor of dramatic highs and lows in nearly every track. Lush standouts like the 11-minute opener “Deeper” or the propulsive “Trocadero” feel like a dive into a luxurious pool, offering submerged contemplation before rising back up for air. “Moodswing” kicks off the album’s middle section with a popping champagne cork as its peak-time disco gradually loses bubbles and drifts towards the hypnotic arpeggiated synths of “Sunwash.” This leads to the album’s softest and perhaps most striking moment—“Joybreath,” a sensual mood piece carried by tender piano and Rose E. Kross’ delicate vocalizations.
For all the brilliant playing of Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This?, one of its surprises is that the album was largely constructed remotely. This album’s ability to make you forget all the work involved speaks to Daniel’s skill as an editor but also to the passion and precision of its wide community of contributors as they nail every take. More than a side project or a solo moniker now, Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This? joyfully cements the Soft Pink Truth’s era as a band—and one that throws a hell of a party.
