Perhaps one of the most lyrically poignant and timely pieces of moern pop, Alys Crisp’s ‘Softboy’ is an unravelling of a cultural epidemic that’s riddled modern relationships and personalities. The entire subculture of ‘Softboys’, perhaps coined and started during the more emotional trap music of the late 2010s, has now pervaded over an entire generation. The seemingly more intimate, emotional, and empathetic men who paint themselves as nice guys with good intentions still harbour the same problematic approaches and attitudes towards relationships as traditional playboys just simply guised under a facetious mask.
‘Softboy’ is sonically a pure earworm. A smooth indie r&b tune that’s infectious as hell with an effortlessly groovy beat alongside an even more seductive vocal performance. But it’s in the exploratory lyricism that’s culturally important and even slightly comical that it finds itself the most endearing. It’s sardonic tune and laid back beat is just the perfect combination.