{"id":3640,"date":"2026-07-12T21:24:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T21:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=3640"},"modified":"2026-07-12T21:24:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T21:24:47","slug":"the-soft-pink-truth-shall-we-go-on-sinning-so-that-grace-may-increase-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=3640","title":{"rendered":"Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? is hypnotic, healing, and hopeful"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Matmos are an incredibly accomplished duo between their own solo records like the masterpiece A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure<\/em><\/a> and production classic Bjork records like Vespertine<\/em>. But Drew Daniel, one half of Matmos, is fiendishly prolific. When he\u2019s not literally dreaming<\/a> up new viral<\/a> music genres<\/a>, he\u2019s also putting out records under the banner of The Soft Pink Truth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Where Matmos usually focuses on a specific musical experiment \u2014 using only samples of medical procedures or building instruments out of PVC tubing \u2014 Soft Pink Truth goes wherever Daniel\u2019s whims take him. That might be a house record. It might be a bunch of black metal covers<\/a>. Or, in the case of Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?<\/em>, it could be a shockingly beautiful and optimistic meditation on the rise of global fascism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Shall We Go On<\/em> is a subtler record than Daniel\u2019s previous solo efforts. It trades the distortion and house beats of previous material for something hypnotic and healing. While there are plenty of heavily manipulated field recordings and samples, as you\u2019d find on a Matmos record, they err towards a more organic and ambient texture than Daniel\u2019s other projects.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The first track, \u201cShall,\u201d sets the stage with some unsettling dissonant drones, fussy soundscapes, and a vocal chant that\u2019s teetering dangerously on the edge of the uncanny valley. It\u2019s an embodiment of what we\u2019re leaving behind as the album kicks into gear with the minimal new-age thump of \u201cWe.\u201d A muted four-on-the-floor kick backs clanking percussion, wind sweeps, female vocal runs, and a piano playing peekaboo. The song gradually gathers momentum, as the arrangement becomes busier and reaches for the clouds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cGo\u201d follows the chilled-out dancefloor excursion of \u201cWe\u201d with a call to prayer, before leading into the ocean-front ambiance of \u201cOn,\u201d with its ghostly choir of vocals, glitchy piano, and gently plucked synths.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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These are all buildup, however, to what is arguably the album\u2019s centerpiece, \u201cSinning.\u201d Abstract saxophone blasts dance with bells and vibraphones as another simple four-on-the-floor kick injects the jam with undeniable groove.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I chose that word \u201cjam,\u201d intentionally, too. Where previous Soft Pink Truth records and most of Matmos\u2019 catalog are built primarily from samples, Shall We Go On\u2026<\/em> leans heavily on live instrumentation and musicians bouncing ideas off each other in real time. Where Do You Party? <\/em>Feels meticulous; Shall We Go On\u2026<\/em> feels spontaneous. It gets caught up in its own celebration of human creativity and the power of art to heal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSo\u201d is the comedown after the ecstatic celebration of \u201cSinning,\u201d with the saxophones serving as our gateway to the back half of the album, which, like the rest of it, is a seamless mix. Their simple two-note drone becomes a recurring motif that other instruments build on top of, from the piano pedal that anchors the ambient chaos of \u201cThat,\u201d to the jazzy explosion of \u201cGrace,\u201d that erupts from what sounds suspiciously like a car alarm having a nervous breakdown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMay Increase\u201d spends its four-plus-minute runtime disassembling everything that \u201cThat\u201d built up. All the chaos, all the noise, until it finally ends with a deep exhale.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Soft Pink Truth\u2019s Shall <\/em>We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? is available on <\/em>Bandcamp<\/em><\/a> and most major streaming platforms, including <\/em>YouTube Music<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Apple Music<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Spotify<\/em><\/a>, and <\/em>Deezer<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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