Soft Science share new single ‘Fade’ ahead of fifth album ‘Sand’

Sacramento dream-pop and shoegaze outfit Soft Science have released “Fade”, the third single from their forthcoming fifth album Sand.

The track follows earlier singles “Spinning” and “Understand”, with Sand set for release on September 4, 2026 through Shelflife Records in the US and Spinout Nuggets in the UK.

Built around ethereal vocals, layered guitars and a driving rhythm, “Fade” deals with memory, change and the way experiences gradually recede into the past. The song considers the tension between holding onto what has gone before and accepting that change is unavoidable, while finding a sense of stability through human connection.

Vocalist Katie Haley says the song was one of the earliest ideas brought to the album by Ross Levine.

“This was one of the first song ideas Ross came up with for the album. I was immediately drawn to the core of the song as it is ethereal pop but, at the same time, it has a driving force,” says Haley, adding “When I was coming up with the lyrics, I imagined this song playing in the car on a romanticized road trip, driving along the coast or something like that. This is one of our favorites to play live from ‘Sand’; we all picked it up really easily and it has an energy that feels good to perform.”

For Levine, “Fade” began with a four-on-the-floor drum pattern, creating an upbeat foundation for the song’s more reflective vocals. He points to Matt Levine’s guitar part in the bridge and Haley’s harmonies as important elements in the finished recording.

“The lyrical inspiration for the first line, ‘foreign lands’, was from something I heard someone say: ‘The past is a foreign country’. I thought the concept was really interesting. I got me thinking about the constant nature of change and how, over time, small changes accumulate to a moment where you realize everything has changed and what was is just a memory,” says Ross Levine.

“Fade” follows “Understand” and lead single “Spinning” in previewing Sand. The new record contains ten tracks and continues the band’s mixture of dream pop, shoegaze and indie rock, with vocals, guitars, bass, drums and electronic textures forming the core of its sound.

Soft Science currently consists of 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 electronics.

Sand follows the band’s 2023 album Lines, with their earlier releases including Maps (2018), Detour (2013) and Highs and Lows (2011).

“Fade” is available digitally now, while Sand will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally on September 4.

Sand tracklist

1. Spinning
2. Go
3. Fade
4. Without
5. Sand
6. Everything
7. Thread
8. Understand
9. Hope
10. Sway

Stream/buy the latest single here.