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Words by Ben Ward
Collaboration and richly detailed songwriting underpin SoftTop’s orchestral, observational approach to music-making.
Fronted by Miles Goodall on keys and vocals, SoftTop are a formidable seven-piece ensemble who harness a dynamic yearning through proficient instrumentation and unparalleled vocal delivery. Featuring artists from the likes of Hutch and Tinman, the group have developed an evocative identity entirely of their own. What began as Miles recording two songs with friends has since evolved into a fully collaborative seven-piece project.
Since forming in 2023, they have cultivated a sonic aesthetic that leans into the vulnerability of the unknown, captured through orchestral elements, beautiful lyricism and a formidable rhythm section born from the synergy between Charlie and Austin, whose instinctive chemistry gives the band much of its pulse. After recently catching their unforgettable set at Homegrown, it seems their live shows never falter, with the band epitomising sophistication and masterful musicianship, translating superbly from their recorded work.
Their debut single ‘Voiceover’ arrived in 2023, followed a year later by ‘Runaway’ and ‘Broken Glass’. All carry a dreamy melancholy that encapsulates a unique quiet that envelops you in sonorous and profound serenity. You can see and hear the band’s progression and growth with each release, and they are now set to release their debut album Gathering Dust on 19 June 2026. The album tackles themes of life beyond death and harnesses observational lyricism shaped by overheard conversations, near fatal misses and moments from everyday life. It will arrive on vinyl via Crafting Room Recordings, marking a major milestone for the band.
The first singles from the upcoming LP provide a perfect insight into why SoftTop have built such a broad following in the grassroots music scene and beyond. ‘Paving Stones’ delivers an enticing swing groove that accumulates into sweeping string layers and an ostinato from the keys. The track stems from superstition and was catalysed from a very present yet simple moment with a friend. Similarly, latest release ‘Waiting Game’ delivers a pained lyrical motif that sits upon a juxtaposingly jaunty instrumentation composed of woodwind, keys and mature rhythm choices that accentuate the songs whimsical nature. The song paints a surreal picture, with a fuzzy and emotive guitar section carrying us into the bridge and showcasing Miles’ impressive vocal proficiency.
We caught up with frontman Miles to talk about the band’s evolution, Brighton’s grassroots community, the story behind ‘Paving Stones’, and what listeners can expect from Gathering Dust.
Gathering Dust artwork by June Stewart
You guys formed back in 2023, how do your recent singles show your trajectory as a project?
What it shows more than anything is a transition, because initially, when we formed the band, I had two tracks that I wanted to record. So I asked my mates Charlie, Austin and Owen to record the tracks with me, and it was those guys who catalysed the band dynamic by pushing the idea that we gig the tracks, we landed on the name SoftTop and started playing the tracks live.
At that time, it was predominantly me on the songwriting, but with the latest single and all the tracks that will follow, it's certainly more of a collective with the six of us involved in the writing. With ‘Paving Stones’ in particular, Charlie played a pivotal role with that bass part. I remember Austin and me trying to configure a rhythmic part to show Charlie, but he turned around and provided us with something he had been working on at home, and it was nothing short of perfect. Charlie and Austin, having been playing in Hutch as well, are monsters of the rhythm section, knowing where the pocket is and have so much synergy. We are so lucky to have them on the recordings and in the band.
Your band has and does feature many musicians from beloved Brighton bands such as Hutch and Tinman, what is a key part of the identity of this project for you?
It's always been rather soft music with the orchestral parts, and it's music that we want people to open up to and validate the feelings they have. This is pretty prominent with the upcoming album, it touches on quite a tough subject matter, exploring life and death and what lies in between, so we hope lyrically it will be thought provoking. Instrumentally, we are pulling from our influences like Jackson Browne, Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. We want the audience to resonate and sympathise with the characters we create.
You guys played Homegrown earlier this month and are responsible for running mumfest. What do these Brighton day festivals mean to you as a band?
As a band, they're everything. Homegrown do it the right way, I learned a lot from those guys for Mumfest, with them always being there to advise and help out, they're a great bunch of people. It gets younger bands into a festival for the first time, it really gives a platform to newer bands. I think it's vital because the audiences in Brighton are so unique, and they're gonna get this support network. That's not to say all of them will smash it; some will have a nightmare of a gig. We’ve had it before where everything has gone wrong, but you need that experience, especially in an environment that isn't going to write you off immediately.
The great thing that's happening now with these grassroots festivals is that each year we’re seeing bigger and bigger names playing on the same bill as smaller grassroots bands, which is crucial for removing this ladder to the perceived next step.
As a band, what are you inspired by outside of music?
I get in trouble with a lot of my friends for not having the cultural markings of different media forms. I don't have the attention span for film, although a lot of the others are going through a massive David Lynch revival. I am more inspired by people watching, to be honest. A lot of the lyrics you'll hear on the upcoming album will be things I've overheard on the tube when I lived in London, or lyrics about things I've seen happen or happened to me. One of the things being I nearly got hit by a car, which was what sparked the spiral of how I could've been in a coma right now.
Our group and I encountered some health scares last year, which allowed me to experience that situation in a different form. It was a remarkably strange thing to be happening in parallel to the recording of the album, and I found I struggled listening to the tracks as it was speaking to what I was living at the time. Everything turned out well in the end, but the short answer is, we write about real life and things we see happen around us. It's very observational.
You recently announced the release of your debut LP. What can we expect from Gathering Dust and how does it feel sharing that with the world?
It feels so good. Don't get me wrong, it's still very stressful being a grassroots band releasing an album with the marketing and tedious process of releasing, so I have to say a massive thank you to Archie at Crafting Room. That man has been instrumental in this release and has the patience of a saint dealing with my scattered nature with these things. He has supported the project since our first release by putting us forward for opportunities, advising us and just being incredibly helpful on all fronts. When I'm holding the record, as we are getting them printed to vinyl, only then will I relax, and the shows will commence. Saying that, we are already thinking about what's next and how we are going to go about it after this release.
The tracks themselves are relatively jovial and quite pleasant, but that coincides with darker and heavier lyricism; some of the tracks we are yet to play live, but the album covers a range of aesthetics. A huge mention to June Stewart for the artwork for the single and album covers, she's really captured our dark and creepy aesthetics superbly and has provided a sense of imagery to go alongside each release. She was remarkably easy to work with, and when she sent the pieces back, it was like she was in my head; she met the brief perfectly.
I particularly love the single 'Paving Stones'. What was the catalyst for the song?
I used to live with my friend Dan Shepherd, and we were drunkenly walking back from a night out, and he made a joke about not stepping on the cracks in the pavement. I've spoken about it with him since, and he is certain I've dreamt it after having no recollection of the night but I loved the idea of that superstition. I wrote the lyrics before the instrumentation until we then pieced the rest of it together as a band in a practice room in 2023. It combats the question of what if it were the end of the world, if you fell between the cracks in the pavement?
Would you consider yourself superstitious?
I am, but more in the sense of routine. If I do something in a recording session that goes well, I then have to replicate that for the other recordings. For years, I used to be convinced that if I sang before 2 or 3 in the afternoon, it would sound worse than usual, but that's not as prominent now.
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