{"id":45699,"date":"2026-06-14T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=45699"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:56:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:56:49","slug":"soft-riot-returns-with-crux-a-synth-auteurs-most-spacious-trip-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=45699","title":{"rendered":"Soft Riot returns with \u2018CRUX\u2019 \u2014 A synth auteur\u2019s most spacious trip yet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fifteen years deep, dozens of releases, and countless European stages later \u2014 Glasgow-based, British-Canadian one-man machine Soft Riot is back with his tenth album, ‘CRUX’, and it might just be his most refined and hypnotic trip yet. Released 15 May 2026, it’s the kind of record that rewards patience and repeat listens in equal measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Is Soft Riot?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Behind Soft Riot is Jack Duckworth (JJD), a man with roots deep in the mid-’90s art-punk and hardcore underground of the West Coast American\/Canadian scene. He’s clocked serious time in first-wave post-punk revivalists Radio Berlin (1998\u20132005) and industrial synth-punk outfit A Luna Red (Gold Standard Labs, 1999\u20132003) \u2014 so yeah, this isn’t someone who just discovered a synthesizer last year. Over the past decade and a half, he’s built a sound that pulls from Fad Gadget, early Simple Minds, John Foxx, early Human League, Bill Nelson, and even a dash of Prince \u2014 familiar touchstones, but twisted into something entirely his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s ‘CRUX’ All About?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

‘CRUX’ is Soft Riot doing what Soft Riot does best, but with more breathing room. Songs are given space to cruise. There’s a deliberate minimalism here \u2014 something the artist has openly wrestled with in the past \u2014 and it pays off beautifully across the record. Think strategic space, tight rhythm, smart sound design, subtle humour, mild psychedelia, and a lyrical interplay that keeps you on your toes. It’s a record that takes all the elements of classic synthesizer music \u2014 synth pop, minimal wave, darkwave, new wave, Italo, EBM, post-punk \u2014 and distils them through a filter that’s distinctly, unmistakably Soft Riot<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Outsider Left<\/em> put it: the sound sits somewhere between John Foxx and early Human League, but twisted into Ballardian directions \u2014 “disquieting and melodic all at the same time.” German mag Sonic Seducer<\/em> reckons it takes around ten listens to fully crack open, but promises “a still groundbreaking and innovative sound structure” waiting inside. We’d say start earlier and enjoy the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vinyl Situation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The initial limited edition vinyl pressing via German label Minimalkombinat sold out within a week of pre-orders going live \u2014 which tells you everything you need to know about where Soft Riot sits in the underground synth world right now. Possession Records will be stepping in with a standard pressing for distribution to shops and live shows, so keep your eyes peeled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Next?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A follow-up extended EP titled ‘Alter’ is set for 29 June 2026, featuring exclusive, alternate, and extended versions of tracks from ‘CRUX’. Consider it the deeper dive for the already-converted. Full press materials, a filmed interview with the artist, and streaming audio are all available over at softriot.com\/preview\/crux\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re wired into the darker, weirder end of the synth spectrum \u2014 this one’s essential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fifteen years deep, dozens of releases, and countless European stages later \u2014 Glasgow-based, British-Canadian one-man machine Soft Riot is back with his tenth album, ‘CRUX’, […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,23,25,28,30,1907],"tags":[9016,3144,12462,4072,14324,14326,14325,835,10360,925,8666,11462],"class_list":["post-45699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electronic-music","category-indie","category-live","category-music","category-new-release","category-news","tag-crux","tag-darkwave","tag-ebm","tag-glasgow","tag-italo","tag-jack-duckworth","tag-minimal-wave","tag-new-wave","tag-possession-records","tag-post-punk","tag-soft-riot","tag-synthpop"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1004.jpeg?fit=1128%2C1128&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-bT5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39537,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=39537","url_meta":{"origin":45699,"position":0},"title":"Soft Riot shares \u2018A Spade Is Played Again\u2019 video","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"July 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Vancouver-bred,\u00a0Glasgow-based veteran experimental mutant synth-pop creator\u00a0Soft Riot aka Jack Duckworth\u00a0\/\u00a0JJD has shared the video for the scratchier (Breakdown Version)\u00a0of A Spade Is Played Again. The track is lifted from his forthcoming 10th full length album\u00a0\u2018No.,\u2019 scheduled to be released\u00a0on\u00a0August 11, 2023, via\u00a0Possession Records\u00a0(UK) and\u00a0Wave Tension Records\u00a0(NL). Watch the video for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "electronic music"","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Soft Riot press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/9039ACB6-B309-4D70-A44D-6CD8078C72DC.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/9039ACB6-B309-4D70-A44D-6CD8078C72DC.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/9039ACB6-B309-4D70-A44D-6CD8078C72DC.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/9039ACB6-B309-4D70-A44D-6CD8078C72DC.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/9039ACB6-B309-4D70-A44D-6CD8078C72DC.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32754,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=32754","url_meta":{"origin":45699,"position":1},"title":"Soft Riot returns with dance manifesto ‘When Push Comes To Shove’","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"October 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"'When Push Comes To Shove' is the seventh studio album by synth-punker Soft Riot, the stylized musical alter-ego of Glasgow-based Canadian artist JJD (formerly of Radio Berlin, A Luna Red, PR1M35, etc.). 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The album will be released via\u00a0Possession Records\u00a0on June 28th\u00a0as a digital release, with limited runs of digipak CDs and cassette tapes. It\u2019s been ten years since the first Soft Riot release, the \u2018No Longer Stranger\u2019\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "electronic music"","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Soft Riot press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6FE78529-22E9-4260-A0B9-A1081830DD40.jpeg?fit=1120%2C978&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6FE78529-22E9-4260-A0B9-A1081830DD40.jpeg?fit=1120%2C978&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6FE78529-22E9-4260-A0B9-A1081830DD40.jpeg?fit=1120%2C978&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6FE78529-22E9-4260-A0B9-A1081830DD40.jpeg?fit=1120%2C978&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6FE78529-22E9-4260-A0B9-A1081830DD40.jpeg?fit=1120%2C978&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28972,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=28972","url_meta":{"origin":45699,"position":3},"title":"Russian Anti-Putin digital punk community Pussy Riot comes from Moscow with new art","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"May 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Pussy Riot\u00a0are about to come from Moscow to a number of American cities. Pussy Riot and their digital punk are to appear in New York's Elsewhere, Hangout Fest and Boston Calling festivals as well as in Washington, Atlanta and Asheville. At the start of the visit, Nadya will have a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "art"","block_context":{"text":"art","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5eda0c11-9d21-469e-bc6f-b7f131cbe791.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5eda0c11-9d21-469e-bc6f-b7f131cbe791.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5eda0c11-9d21-469e-bc6f-b7f131cbe791.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5eda0c11-9d21-469e-bc6f-b7f131cbe791.jpg?fit=800%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":37629,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=37629","url_meta":{"origin":45699,"position":4},"title":"Pussy Riot + Boys Noize collaborate on \u2018RAGE\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"December 11, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Russia\u2019s protest art collective\u00a0Pussy Riot\u2019s track\u00a0RAGE\u00a0(in Russian\u00a0\u201cBesit\u201d) sees a stellar remix by German-Iraqi artist\u00a0Boys Noize. This week, the song was also be released as a 1\/1 NFT on the\u00a0Catalog platform available for bidding this Friday\u00a012\/10 @ 2pm EST. You can listen to RAGE via YouTube below or listen here. https:\/\/youtu.be\/mQZz8_ZC7tw\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "electronic music"","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pussy Riot and Boys Noize","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/38C68D91-6667-4BB4-8A43-A3C4EF4D968A.png?fit=1172%2C774&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/38C68D91-6667-4BB4-8A43-A3C4EF4D968A.png?fit=1172%2C774&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/38C68D91-6667-4BB4-8A43-A3C4EF4D968A.png?fit=1172%2C774&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/38C68D91-6667-4BB4-8A43-A3C4EF4D968A.png?fit=1172%2C774&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/38C68D91-6667-4BB4-8A43-A3C4EF4D968A.png?fit=1172%2C774&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34296,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=34296","url_meta":{"origin":45699,"position":5},"title":"Catbite covers \u2018White Riot\u2019 for upcoming split 7\u201d","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"May 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"California independent\u00a0label,\u00a0Bad Time Records, will be releasing a split 7\u201d at the beginning of June. 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