Soft Skies Inc are drawn to a beautiful destruction through ‘The Point’
Philadelphia modern alternative duo of Ryan and Martin Rex create a propulsive tension on driving new single out now.
NOW PLAYING: Listen to ‘The Point’ on Spotify // Bandcamp // Multi-Link
‘The Point’ follows shimmering June single ‘Sin Some / Lose Some’
Listen to Soft Skies Inc on Spotify
Single artwork photographed by Lindsay Metivier of Peel Gallery in North Carolina
PHILADELPHIA, PA [November 17, 2025] – There was a certain time in most of our lives when we’d walk the aisles of a record store and an album or single’s artwork would grab us from afar and draw us into an exciting new world. Back then, we’d often shop with our eyes as much as our ears, and subconsciously gravitate towards certain designs and aesthetics that carefully represented, and ultimately relayed, the sonic bliss contained within.
Soft Skies Inc evoke that kind of hopeful nostalgia through new single “The Point,” the latest release from the Philadelphia modern alternative and dream-pop duo hitting the streams on Tuesday, November 18.
Its colorful artwork, an attention-grabbing visual depicting a searing point of magenta light against a bright red canvas, backlighting a mysterious and shadowed figure and at times piercing it, was photographed by Lindsay Metivier of Peel Gallery in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Metivier also contributed the cover image of the duo’s June single “Sin Some / Lose Some.”
Like the iconic designs of records that soundtracked our youth, the artwork of “The Point” just begins to tell a larger story, capturing the pointed aesthetic of the track’s classic alternative sound, calling back to a time when rock and roll bands experimented with seismic beats and sweeping electronic textures and electronic artists leaned into a more primal and pointed rock and roll energy.
The art is a portal, and one that the twin brothers of Martin and Ryan Rex, perhaps first known for their work in ‘90s-era space rock band Lockgroove, are eager to lead us through. That suffocating nature, relaying a yearning emotive energy where clarity gives way to disorientation and comfort turns to confusion, is purely by design.
“‘The Point’ is about when something that once saved you starts to drown you instead,” says Ryan. “It’s about the beautiful kind of destruction you can’t seem to walk away from.”
With a forceful backbeat creating a relentless line of propulsion through the familiar Soft Skies Inc sound of noisy atmospherics, a wall of guitar sounds and cascading synth layers, and confident pop-hook melodies, “The Point” and its moody tension is both an alternative dance song fit for the nightclubs and something to get lost within while alone in the bedroom on on the subway.
“The Point” was produced by Ryan and Martin Rex with Chris McLaughlin at DeepSpace Studios in Brooklyn, New York, with engineering by McLaughlin. And the brothers are quick to praise the boardwork of their longtime confidant and co-conspirator, who Ryan says “has a way of taking what’s in our heads and turning it into something that just hits.”
The track was mastered by Rich Morales at Super Fine Audio in New York City, with Ryan Rex on main vocals, guitars, bass, and keys and Martin Rex handling drums, percussion, backing vocals, and keys.
“This one began the way a lot of our songs do, me chasing a feeling on the acoustic, then letting it unravel on the electric until it started to breathe on its own,” Ryan recalls. “I demoed it and brought it to Marty, who came in with this incredible driving beat and helped shape the arrangement, really lifting it sonically like he always does.”
Ryan adds: “The verse lyrics came together quickly, but the chorus took forever. I really wanted it to feel relatable, yet a little upside-down and disoriented. The phrasing’s intentionally twisted - the line ‘Why so many of these things did you do to me / Right from the start?’ is meant to sound tangled, like the feeling itself.”
“The Point” also skillfully showcases another side of the Soft Skies Inc creative persona, with each new release expanding their sound and vision.
Where June’s “Sin Some / Lose Some” and last year’s “Your Small Army” swirled in the lanes of jangle-pop and college rock, evoking a C86 and Sarah Records energy, and last year’s “Sooner or Later” shined through a haze of dissonant dream-pop, this new single has a more dynamic modern rock edge to it. There’s a razor sharp bite in its tenderness, and a gritty swagger in its humility.
“You’ll definitely keep hearing a range of styles from Soft Skies Inc but the goal is always for it to feel connected, like it all lives in the same universe,” Ryan adds. “This track’s got a real drive to it, maybe a bit more of a conventional rock structure, but there’s still something off-center about it – the energy, the textures, the production. Another side of the SSI persona coming through.”
Peeling back the layers of each persona, starting from the immediate and arresting visuals and then expanding through the band’s engrossing sound, exists at the core of the Soft Skies Inc creative ethos. And that traces back decades to when the brothers were first taking what they heard in their trusted record collection, augmented by countless hours spent perusing the bins of the long-gone shop down the road, and attempted to filter it through their own songwriting lens.
“We’ve been making music together since we were teenagers, so yeah, there’s definitely been an evolution – both in sound and perspective,” Ryan concludes. “But there’s also a clear through-line in everything we’ve done. At the heart of it, we’ve always just tried to write songs that feel honest and resonate with us. With Soft Skies Inc, we’ve leaned even more into that idea of not limiting ourselves stylistically. If it feels like a good song – if it moves us – we’ll put it out. That freedom has been really energizing, and it’s opened up new creative directions we might not have explored before.”
Soft Skies Inc is:
Ryan Rex: Main vocals, guitars, bass
Martin Rex: Drums, percussion, backing vocals, keys
‘The Point’ single artwork:
‘The Point’ production credits:
Written and arranged by Ryan and Martin Rex
Produced by Ryan and Martin Rex with Chris McLaughlin at DeepSpace Studios in Brooklyn, NY
Engineered by Chris McLaughlin
Mastered by Rich Morales at Super Fine Audio, NYC
Single artwork by Lindsay Metivier
Soft Skies Inc short bio:
Soft Skies Inc is the new recording project from twin writing team Ryan and Martin Rex. With each single, the twins seek to feed your head or elevate your day. The Soft Skies Inc sound is noisy, poppy, psychedelic, melodic, driving — exploring texture and mood and space and time. The “Sooner or Later” single hit the streams in September 2024, followed by the Sapphire Goss-directed music video for “Your Small Army” the following month. More new music is on the way in 2025, including the June single “Sin Some / Lose Some” and November’s “The Point.”
Media praise for Soft Skies Inc:
“Sonic bliss…” _The Spill Magazine
“a soothing haze in the sonic daydream…” _Living Life Fearless
“Cinematic magic.” _The Whole Kameese
“‘Your Small Army’ is one of the more compelling dream pop singles we’ve heard here in a while.” _If It’s Too Loud
“The noise-strewn dreamy-pop tune sways over a shimmery blanket of bittersweet hope, woven by an intoxicating interplay of insistent vibrant guitar melodies and sullen yet lively pulsing bass pulses, ceaselessly churned by stumbling drum beats, expands into brilliant metaphysical textures that burst and collide into an uplifting immersion of lush sentient frequencies, into a mishmash of spiralling light-shivering keyboards and sudden outbursts of harshly abrasive guitar washes, whilst Stipe-like heartfelt breathy vocals hold on to a magical past amid present-day fading.” _White Light // White Heat
“‘Sin Some/Lose Some’ by Soft Skies Inc hints at a love of the 80s with a solid pop rock sound augmented with a high toned guitar riff – carrying a hint of bands like The Adventures – before twisting itself into a full on power pop belter where a wall of jangling guitars supports a great pop vocal. It doesn’t take long at all before the love for the great Matthew Sweet makes itself more than obvious here, but this act’s gift for a strong melody ensures that any obvious “borrowing” stands up in its own right.” _Real Gone
"’Sin Some/Lose Some’ explores the depth and brilliance of styles like dream-pop and alternative rock. It creates an introspective and melancholic atmosphere, while maintaining a catchy and accessible personality for diverse audiences, all wrapped in a slightly dense atmosphere that adds depth to its narrative.” _Rmas+
“Melodic guitar pop at its Sebadoh best. Uptempo shoe-slacker-gaze spiced with scintillating synths and ethereal vocals. Start dreaming in overdrive. Right now, right here.” _Turn Up The Volume
“The combination of dreamy singing and that stark groove works quite well. That rhythm just goes on and on, with no rest for the listener. …fans of this music at the time will find a nice addition to their private discotheque or, to put it in a more modern way, playlist.” _WoNoBlog
“Soft Skies Inc goes big with layers upon layers of intricate Dream Alt being added in an almost rapid fire succession to make it so there’s practically something new to enjoy with each passing second …Any comparisons to The Cure are rightly deserved from our view especially with the atmosphere created in the keys department from both the Rex’s that adds a certain denseness to the proceedings with Ryan’s vibrant voice cascading over the buoyant beats brought about by Martin hovering like the infectiousness of later Bob Mould collaborating with Love and Rockets or New order following their 2001 resurgence.” _Rock And Roll Fables
“‘The Kickaround’ [is] a noisy guitar-pop jam that grinds like the night and shines like the morning.” _Vanyaland
“‘Sooner or Later’ is just drenched in early alt-rock (or college rock, I should probably say) mixed with modern dream pop. It’s the type of song that is going to resonate with fans of bands like The Sundays and early R.E.M., as well as fans of newer bands like Beach House. The song is fuzzy and dissonant, but in a softer, more gentle way. With ‘Sooner or Later’, Soft Skies Inc are taking nostalgia and updating it for today.” _If It’s Too Loud
SPOTIFY . BANDCAMP . YOUTUBE . APPLE . INSTAGRAM . THREADS . FACEBOOK . LINKTREE
