Kevin Bronson on May 13th, 2020

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Before they released a note of music as Soft Palms, wife-husband duo Julia Kugel and Scott Montoya were leaving their mark on the Southern Californing arts scene. The Long Beach couple — she of the Coathangers, he a former member of the Growlers — are the driving force behind the 2-year-old Happy Sundays festival, run the educational nonprofit Studios for Schools and organize the Long Beach POP events calendar.

After releasing “Wash Your Hands” as part of Burger Records’ “Songs From Self-Isolation” compilation, Soft Palms return today with their first proper single, “Rainbows.” It’s the first song from their self-titled debut album, coming out July 31 on Everloving Records.

It’s a space jam for the mind, with Kugel’s cherubic vocals floating above a relentless beat and psychedelic effects. (L.A. fans might be reminded of the Happy Hollows, only much trippier.) “My goal was to create something that sounded like a mental hug, a sonic embrace,” Kugel says. “Everything can feel so wild and out of control; we really wanted to create something you could sink into and use to calm those emotions.”

The album, made at the couple’s home studio, was mastered by Mick Boggis (Pogues, Mötorhead, 12 Monkeys, Joe Strummer), a longtime collaborator who has served as a mentor throughout Montoya’s recording career.

||| Stream: “Rainbows”