Southend trio Soaked return this month with a single that feels both musically sharp and socially urgent. ‘Simple Little Things’ lands after a string of high-profile festival appearances at SXSW London and Wilderness Festival, and arrives alongside a campaign with Beat, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity. The partnership includes a music video, a merch line with half of the profits donated, and an online awareness push designed to spark conversation about body image and self-worth.
The band, made up of vocalist and guitarist Brandon Frisby, bassist Ronnie Cochrane and drummer Alex Newman, formed in 2022 and have already opened for The Libertines and toured Europe with Skegss. They’ve built a reputation for urgent, sweat-soaked live shows, but ‘Simple Little Things’ signals a more introspective step. Rather than leaning on the punk fuelled arsenal of Marshall amps and live drum kits found on previous releases, Soaked use a boxy electronic drum kit on Simple Little Things, giving the track a distinct and tasteful lo-fi flavour under the wiry guitar tones. The result is a track that feels both raw and precise: three minutes of fuzzy garage-rock energy shaped into an almost airtight container.
Frisby’s vocal, deliberately unpolished, carries a slightly detached quality that contrasts with the subject matter. It is almost conversational in tone, a choice that makes the unexpectedly sing-along choruses sharper and brighter. The track manages to balance the bands stylistic sense of playfulness in its melody against the weight of its lyricism.
Talking about the tracks lyricism, the band explain: “There wasn’t one specific thing that made me want to write a song about self-image issues—it was more a combination of all the pressures young people face today to look perfect. We’re constantly targeted by corporations selling the idea of perfection, which simply isn’t real or achievable. The song reflects that, but it’s also a bit of a double-edged sword. The lyric ‘if only life was that simple’ acknowledges how hard it is to truly tackle such a deep-rooted problem. It’s easy to say ‘come and stand up with me and live carefree as we’re meant to be’, but much harder to live it. Still, writing and performing the song publicly might help people feel less isolated in these feelings.
This song also marks the beginning of a new, more introspective writing style for me. I’ve been enjoying crafting more poignant lyrics that make people think.”
To accompany the single, Soaked are launching what they call a ‘Do It Yourself Tour’, inviting fans to request gigs in homes or local spaces. Each show will involve local support acts, with the entire run filmed for a short documentary. The new Soaked x BEAT merch is available via the bands website: https://soakedband.com/soakedxbeat
Listen to the new single below:
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