Sacramento dream pop outfit Soft Science return with ‘Understand’, the second single from their forthcoming fifth album, Sand. Released through Shelflife Records in North America and Spinout Nuggets in the UK, the new track explores time, memory and the patience required to make sense of life’s difficult moments.
Where Soft Science often build their songs around shimmering guitars and atmospheric textures, ‘Understand’ carries a particularly reassuring emotional core. Its buoyant instrumentation and Lush-inspired feel create a sense of light breaking through the darker moments, matching a song that ultimately encourages listeners to hold onto what matters and trust that difficult seasons will eventually pass.
The song grew from a chorus written by guitarist Ross Levine, with the line “and I know one day you’ll understand” becoming the foundation for its message. For vocalist and percussionist Katie Haley, those words immediately brought her teenage children to mind and the challenges that can come with growing up.
Rather than presenting those experiences as something that needs an immediate solution, ‘Understand’ embraces patience. Its first verse reflects the affection Haley has for her children, while the second offers encouragement to anyone facing a difficult period, reminding them that some experiences only become clearer with time.
That idea gives the song a universal quality. Whether dealing with personal struggles, relationships or simply the uncertainty that comes with moving through life, the track suggests that stepping back, giving yourself room and allowing time to do its work can be just as important as finding an immediate answer.
Musically, Soft Science balance that reflective message with their established dream pop, shoegaze and indie rock sound. Layered guitars, ethereal vocals, synthesizers, bass and driving drums create a spacious yet propulsive backdrop, giving ‘Understand’ enough movement to keep its hopeful message from becoming overly subdued.
Ross Levine says the song began with a verse melody and its accompanying chords, but the band deliberately avoided some of the most predictable musical changes. That approach helped them maintain the song’s pop accessibility while introducing subtle moments of exploration beneath its polished surface.
‘Understand’ follows ‘Spinning’, the album’s lead single. Driven by a more restless energy, ‘Spinning’ focuses on the exhaustion of being trapped inside recurring emotional conversations and the frustration of trying to make yourself heard. Its accompanying video by Matthew Maxwell translates that feeling into a visual representation of emotional repetition and tension.
Together, the two singles offer different perspectives on connection. While ‘Spinning’ captures the frustration of feeling stuck, ‘Understand’ leans toward patience and reassurance, suggesting that clarity does not always arrive immediately.
Those ideas feed directly into Sand, a ten-track album concerned with impermanence and the ways love, memory and identity can change over time. Rather than simply dwelling on uncertainty, Soft Science examine the decision to continue choosing connection even when there are no guarantees about what comes next.
The band’s six-member lineup features Katie Haley on lead vocals and percussion, Matt Levine on lead guitar, Ross Levine on guitar and backing vocals, Tony Cale on drums, Becky Cale on bass and backing vocals, and Hans Munz on atmospheric electronics. Together, they create a sound that can feel luminous and expansive while retaining an underlying melancholy.
Sand continues a catalog that includes 2023’s Lines, 2018’s Maps, 2013’s Detour and 2011’s Highs and Lows. Over the years, Soft Science have also taken their music to stages and festivals in the US and Europe, while appearing for live sessions at KEXP, WFMU and Part-Time Punks in Los Angeles.
With ‘Understand’, the Sacramento band show another side of their songwriting. Beneath its shimmering guitars and buoyant rhythm is a simple but powerful idea: not everything in life needs to make sense immediately. Sometimes, understanding comes later, after the difficult moment has passed and there is finally enough distance to see it differently.
‘Understand’ is available now across digital platforms, while Soft Science’s Sand album arrives on CD and vinyl through Shelflife Records in the US and Spinout Nuggets in the UK on September 4.
