Soft Hearted Scientists – Wonder Girl (2025)
“Don’t be afraid to exaggerate life incidents. It’s art, not an insurance claim” – straight from the mouth of Cardiff-based Soft Hearted Scientists (or at least it’s on their Facebook page). Given a proneness for exaggeration, the serendipitous meeting and formation of Soft Hearted Scientists seems rather true as the band members met during a full moon while searching for sasquatches, wendigos, and meteor fragments in the Garwnant Forest Centre. It was that night, beneath that moon, when a blood oath was sworn to create “magic realist psychedelic music”. True? Who knows. Very exciting? Definitely!
A collective of like-minded musicians – four core members and three floating members – Soft Hearted Scientists are psychedelic sonic alchemists blending vintage and contemporary sounds in a whirl of electronica meets organic, dreamy meets realism, magic meets cryptic, and all with psychedelic flair. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Wonder Girl’.
The first step into 2025, ‘Wonder Girl’ is the pre-emptor to Soft Hearted Scientists’ upcoming double-album The Phantom of Canton. Released through the label The Hip Replacement, ‘Wonder Girl’ is a three-and-a-half-minute pop-driven single. Tapping their hats to retro acts like The Kinks and the Beatles, Soft Hearted Scientists use jangle-pop guitars, dynamic drums, a bold bass, and shimmering keys in a hypnotic haze.
A massive drag to yesteryear, ‘Wonder Girl’ is a peek at 1960s Top of the Pops. Harmonic and symphonic, each element weaves together in a shining concoction; all bound by dulcet vocals to ease your soul. As much as I love the calm languidness of ‘Wonder Girl’, it is the combination of melody and emotion that gives it a bit of an edge. Thematically, “…the Wonder Girl in question may be real, an ideal, a ghost from an old photograph, or maybe just wishful thinking…” – all caught in the smile-inducing music.
Find out more about Soft Hearted Scientists on their Facebook, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
Listen to more pop music on The Other Side Reviews Pop playlist:
