The Soft City began life as the solo project of Phil Sutton, formerly of British indie‐pop types Comet Gain and Kicker. Sutton, with the help of various friends, recorded a three‐track EP, The Soft City, released by Cloudberry Records, in 2007. After moving to New York in 2008, Sutton recruited Dora Lubin (vocals) and Jason Corace (A Boy Named Thor) (guitars) to make The Soft City a band. Kyle Forester (Ladybug Transistor, Crystal Stilts) joined the three‐piece in the studio in 2009 to help them record their self‐titled debut LP, engineered and produced by Ladybug’s Gary Olson, with the assistance of the group. Turner Stough (The Isles, Bel Air) joined on bass later that year.

The album, with liner notes by David Feck (Comet Gain), was recorded quickly over ten days in the summer of 2009, and features eight songs by Sutton, and two by Corace. Influenced by past and recent groups (The Go-Betweens, felt, Belle and Sebastian, Comet Gain) and by the sounds of girl group and French Yeh‐Yeh, The Soft City is a melody heavy jangle pop record, with chiming guitars, electric organs, and crystal clear vocals. The songs, of the classic 2‐ or 3‐minute pop variety, with hooks and memorable choruses, are about heartache, love, loneliness, city living, friendship, youthful indiscretions, dancing, and falling stars. The Soft City is a  great, great indie jangle‐pop record from start to finish.”

Eric J. Ostermeier, Word on Music Records