Primal. Inspired. Empowered. These are the abiding takeaways from sophomore BONES UK album, SOFT. Building on the success of their 2019 self-titled debut, the unapologetically rebellious, Grammy-nominated duo returns with a visceral, anthemic take on their future-rock mélange of swaggering guitars, gritty electronics, and love-yourself / think-for-yourself lyrics.

Written and recorded over five years in diverse locations including London, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Texas, contributors to SOFT include Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman.

“It’s everything you loved about the first record, turned up,” said vocalist/guitarist Rosie Bones. “Keeping things scrappy, raw and real, with enough electronic beats to keep our industrial dance-heads happy and enough heartbreakers to keep our romantics listening.”

Formed in London in 2014, BONES UK first came to the attention of guitar legend Jeff Beck, who asked them to co-write his 2016 album Loud Hailer and perform with him on accompanying tours of the U.S. and Japan.

After relocating to L.A., the duo released the critically acclaimed BONES UK, which has accumulated over 66 million Spotify streams. The album includes Grammy-nominated single “Pretty Waste” and a hit cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.” Loudwire declared BONES UK one of the year’s best rock albums and Howard Stern invited them to perform on his SiriusXM show. Completed on stage by drummer Heavy, BONES UK’s effervescent live shows included dates with Stone Temple Pilots, The Struts, and Tom Morello.

Then came the pandemic and the fractured, nomadic process of writing and recording SOFT which would ultimately lend every song a distinct personality, bound by throughlines of massive hooks, bold stylistic cocktails, and empowering lyrics that have made BONES UK a gang that so many want to join.

“The first record was very programmed,” explained virtuoso lead guitarist Carmen Vandenberg. “This time, we had a drummer and there’s a lot of live, organic elements.” Extensive touring also impacted the sound of SOFT, which captures BONES UK’s very palpable musical chemistry and joy in performance. “We definitely wanted that live energy a bit more on the new songs,” said Rosie. “That they had more room to breathe and were more real.”

Reaching back to Stax and Motown influences, classic rock ‘n roll, and ‘90s electronica and song-based rock, SOFT is a spirited “fuck you” to the status quo. Opener “Bikinis” epitomizes the album’s slinky grooves, sultry vocals, and tastefully evocative guitars framing instant-earworm choruses. “It’s about body confidence,” said Rosie, a force-of-nature visual thinker and prolific lyricist. “All these amazing variations of people that are accepted these days, and sort of going to a club and lying in an ocean of them.”

“Won’t Settle” defies societal pressures to “settle down” at a certain age, its ragged stop-start guitar a wakeup slap-in-the-face. “I’m so fucking repulsed by that idea, so it’s about not letting anyone, or any time of your life make you feel that pressure,” said Rosie. The album’s second Shuman co-write, “Fix” wallows in the pain and loneliness of a toxic relationship, its insistent verses and tortured guitars juxtaposed with gorgeous melody and harmony.

Recorded amidst the borderland wildness of El Paso’s storied Sonic Ranch studio, “Me” is a stomping, saturated celebration of diversity and self that was tracked in one take with lyrics written on the spot. Meanwhile, slow burning “Knee Deep” showcases SOFT’s sensitive side, connecting through sparse, atmospheric guitars and Rosie’s late-night confessional vocal. “A sentiment that I resonate with more than anything in the world is how much easier life would be if you didn’t feel things so deeply,” she explained.

The release of SOFT on Sumerian Records will be accompanied by tours with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and Bush, and visualizers for the album’s five singles.

“Instead of going through the standardized template of three-minute songs, we wanted to make art that makes us happy,” Carmen concluded. “Give it a big lick – you’ll love the way this tastes!”