I equate listening to Baltimore’s Soft Cat to a walk through the woods. It’s delicate and soft with occasional bright spots and deep roots. There’s minute pieces to discover in each track. But there’s also a brisk wind that can come through. An impending storm can turn the forest into a scene of tension and beauty at the same time.
“Liminal” is that moment hidden away in the calming melodic acoustic sounds of Lost No Labor (their upcoming release—out on April 9th). While the beginning chords speak to the rest of the albums vibe, everything changes when the vocals, strings, and drums roll in backed by an unexpected blanket of feedback. The wind is blowing. The leaves are spinning. The light fades and my pace quickens. The beauty of it though is that it builds and builds to some sort of explosive and powerful moment. That does not happen with “Liminal.” Instead this feeling subsides and fades. The storm passes. Light streams through again, ending where the song began with the calm chords strumming out into the wilderness. “Liminal” takes Lost No Labor where it needs to go for a brief moment, but then quickly guides it back to Soft Cat’s warm and peaceful home.
Soft Cat’s Neil Sanzgiri had this to say about “Liminal” and Lost No Labor:
“Liminal,” much like the definition of the word, is a song that I wanted to represent the in-between stage—moments of uncertainty where nothing seems to happen and nothing is accomplished. That’s why I think this song is an interesting fit in the album. I remember thinking that I accidentally wrote an angsty song when I started recording it, but I realized it was such a necessary step in the theme of Lost No Labor.
Graduating from college nearly two years ago, I had no idea which direction my life would take. Coming out of art school, I was emotionally exhausted but awakened with a new critical and almost spiritual lens in which to view the world. I almost swore off of Soft Cat after the trouble of releasing Wildspace in 2010, and thought music would be my last avenue. Anyone involved in the music world knows what I’m talking about, the rigorousness of getting anything to happen sometimes. Maybe another title for the album could have something to do with rigor because that’s really what I’m trying to describe. Labor is something that applies to every aspect of our lives—the constant renewal of effort that daily existence requires. It’s truly a courageous experience and I guess I just want people to know that we have to keep moving forward and work as hard as we can.
I worked on this album with some of my closest friends and formed bonds in playing music with them at my house in very intimate settings. Some of the happiest moments of my life are captured on this album.
Lost No Labor will be released by Human Kindness Overflowing, the wonderful non-profit label that donates proceeds to needy causes, on April 9th. The money raised from the Lost No Labor release will be donated to the Whitelock Community Farms in Baltimore, MD, which supports the Baltimore community through sustainable fresh food sources.
