A Record Of Building Ruminations And Understated Hooks That Reward Close Listening
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Johnno Casson, a maverick known in music circles as Snippet, returns with Soft Lad, a meditative drift through the corridors of his psyche. The Colchester native delivers fifteen tracks of wonky hip-hop electronica, blending downtempo haze with off-kilter groove—each one grounded in his instinct for stripped-back, emotionally direct songwriting.
This album unfolds like a sonically charged gallery, where nostalgia is reframed through a modern lens. Analog echoes of Robert Wyatt brush up against a sensibility reminiscent of Damon Albarn at his most introspective. “Music has always been my medicine—even on the days it felt like my only medicine,” Johnno shares. That ethos runs quietly but persistently through Soft Lad.
The process behind the record reflects that same resilience. Following a period of illness, Johnno reworked his approach, creating these songs with minimal tools on an aging iMac, leaning into warped synth textures and the warm, rubbery tone of a Kala U-Bass. The result is an album that feels intimate and unvarnished, built on earthy vocals and tactile, reel-to-reel-inspired textures.
Too Many Snakes In The Long Grass
highlights Snippet’s ability to fuse introspection with groove, balancing lo-fi grit with a subtle polish that keeps things moving. Sometimes I Fade
pivots into a funk-driven pocket, its rhythmic backbone carrying reflective spoken word verses before opening into a chorus of swelling synth pads and layered octave vocals. It’s a dynamic shift that underscores his range without breaking the album’s internal logic.
Let’s Talk About Us (The Earthly Delights Remix)
reimagines the 2019 original with a more expansive and atmospheric touch. The remix leans into space and restraint, drawing out a soulful, synth-forward palette while amplifying the layered vocal motif at its core.
I Keep Running Away From Myself
stands as one of the album’s most quietly affecting moments. Beginning with a muted piano and a sparse, minimalist frame, the track unfolds as a building rumination, gradually deepening in emotional weight. It’s less about arrival than accumulation—each layer adding to a sense of internal reckoning.
While Snippet’s influences span from Hak Baker to Beck, what defines Soft Lad is its emotional clarity. His songwriting resists excess, favouring honesty and nuance over spectacle. It’s this quality that has earned him recognition as “a national indie treasure,” as praised by BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson.
The accompanying animation by Marry Waterson extends the album’s world visually, offering a subtle but effective counterpart to its sonic palette.
In Soft Lad, Johnno Casson structures the entire record around vulnerability. The result is a work that feels both modest and deeply considered. For listeners drawn to introspection, texture, and emotional precision, this is an album that invites you inward, then lingers there.
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