Spencer Radcliffe is back under his Blithe Field name, and the timing feels right. His new album, Soft Core Hard Wear, lands next month via Orindal Records, the follow-up to 2023's Grits Kissed. That record already proved Radcliffe could bend ambient textures into something warm and lived-in. This one looks to push further.
The first preview is "Milked Rainbow," a track with a title that's half the fun before you even press play. But the song delivers too. It's fuzzy and mystifying, hazy like a VHS tape you dug out of a box after decades in a closet.
Radcliffe has been at this for years, whether under his own name or scattered across the Blithe Field catalog, always chasing that blurred, tactile sound. "Milked Rainbow" fits right in while still feeling fresh. A weird little gem.
Momentum is building for a full-length that could be his best yet. Mark the calendar. This one's worth the wait.