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For over two decades, The Softer Side has been crafting heartfelt, high-energy punk rock, navigating the ups and downs of life while staying true to their DIY roots. After making waves in the early 2000s with two albums and an EP, the band went on a long hiatus before returning with Rise From The Embers in 2013 and, more recently, Deathbed—both of which have now been combined and slapped on vinyl as 'Rise From The Deathbed,' out now on Double Helix Records, Hign End Denim Records and Pee Records. We caught up with guitarist/backing vocalist Scott and vocalist/guitarist Brian to talk about The Softer Side's journey, the evolution of their sound, and what’s next for the band.

PRT: You started The Softer Side back in 1999 and released two albums and an EP between 2000 and 2006. But then it became quiet release-wise until 2013 when you dropped the ‘Rise From The Embers’ EP. Was that a matter of life getting in the way?

Scott: I think you hit the nail right on the head. The heyday for us was definitely that 1999-2006 stretch. We were in our early twenties, less responsibilities, the punk scene was still thriving, and we had more time to focus on music and playing shows. I think we all knew deep down that this was never going to be the “job”, but we were (and still are) super close friends - so we all knew that we would continue to play music in some capacity. “Rise From The Embers” is a good example of that. We never really stopped writing songs, but it became harder to carve out time to connect and finish the songs.

Brian: Yeah, Scott is absolutely right. Playing and writing music has always been something of importance and something that we have loved to do together - but sometimes life gets too busy. Between graduate school, health issues, jobs, marriage and families, and other things, a lot happened during the gap in recordings. Tim and I embarked on writing some tunes for a new project (who knows if any of that music will ever see the light of day?) and Scott and his family were now living up in Boston - where he was also recording and playing with some bands there. The good thing is that over the years, as Scott alluded to, we would still write little snippets of songs or ideas for The Softer Side. We would often stow them away for endless periods of time and then eventually send things back and forth to each other to start jamming on  - and a lot of those ideas finally came to fruition with “Embers”, and then again with “Deathbed”.

PRT: You kept us waiting even longer for the ‘Deathbed’ EP to come out last year. More life getting in the way?

Scott: For sure the case again. Marriages, kids, careers taking over, opening businesses, etc. Which are all fantastic and we wouldn’t change one second of it. But, that all consumes bandwidth for any new albums. And we had a lot of songs in the vault by the time we all got back together to work on what would become “Deathbed”. I think one of the songs may be pushing 15 years old.

Brian: Pro tip: Having children may cut into your personal free time. Haha. I guess we really like to let any ideas we have marinate for quite awhile. That being said, we are really hoping that the current momentum will carry on and we will start working on more tunes sooner than later this time around.

PRT: Up until now you put out music completely DIY, without the help of a label. Was that a way of being able to do things at your own pace without too many outside pressures/expectations?

Scott: We had a ton of sniffs by labels in the early years and had opportunities to go down the label route. It was a different time though and we had more of a DIY spirit in those days.

Brian: Music distribution has changed so much over the years. Back in our “younger” days, it was all about word of mouth, creating a local scene, physically handing out show flyers and demos, etc. It was easier in a lot of ways to be DIY.

PRT: Now you have three labels behind you to make sure ‘Rise From The Deathbed’ is available everywhere. How did that come about?

Scott: Right around the time we started mixing “Deathbed”, hearing it all come to life, I think we all felt we had some really good songs. We circulated our first round masters to about a dozen labels and had some good chats with a handful.

One stood out from the start and that was High End Denim Records. They were amped on the songs immediately and really wanted to partner with us. It ended up being the right choice. After “Deathbed” came out and it got some really positive buzz, we wanted to jump on getting it to vinyl quickly. Credit to High End Denim for reaching out to Double Helix Records and Pee Records to partner on it as well.

I think it was Double Helix that was also a big fan of “Rise From The Embers” and suggested maybe we do a dual EP vinyl release. I put all the new artwork together for it, which took some time, and to kick off 2025, we put out the “Rise From The Deathbed” dual EP vinyl. Massive of credit to High End Denim, Double Helix and Pee Records for their support on this release. It’s been an awesome experience working with 3 labels who care very deeply about the artists and the music they put out.

Brian: Totally agree. We wrote and recorded the songs for Deathbed without any real expectations. It was all about the creative process and spending time playing music with good friends. The fact that the songs started generating some interest was really cool and we couldn’t be happier to be working with those 3 great labels.

PRT: Over the years you evolved from fast-paced skatepunk to effectively living up to your band name with a more dynamic, broader sound. Is that a matter of your musical preferences changing or wanting to challenge yourself?

Scott: I think all of it. We are skate punks at heart, but have always had diverse musical interests and tastes. That has definitely grown over the years and makes its way into the songwriting.

Brian: I guess you just find that over time things sort of organically change - your writing is a little different, your playing gets a little more seasoned, your influences or inspirations evolve. In the end though, there’s still a collective love of punk music.

PRT: You aren’t exactly hiding your influences with your sound going back to the heydays of Epitaph and Fat Wreck. What is it about that style that keeps doing it for you?

Scott: It struck such a nerve, especially to me in high school. The intensity, the speed, the rawness, I found it all very compelling and very much a parallel to how I felt in my teenage years. I guess when something hits hard in life, as music tends to do, it really sticks with you. Those bands from the early days of Fat Wreck and Epitaph have always been very near and dear to me. I think we all feel that way.

Brian: I listen to music of all different genres, but there’s been an affinity for fast/melodic punk since about 7th grade. I remember hearing “Punk in Drublic” for the first time (I’m pretty sure Tim is the one who hooked me up with the cassette tape) and I instantly loved everything about it. While it may be a smaller community, there’s just something special about the punk scene. I’ve got very fond memories of digging through music stores to find obscure new bands, going to killer shows with good friends, jamming in the old band room, etc.

PRT: Are you softies at heart, or is the name The Softer Side just a clever front?

Brian: It was sort of a random name that we came up with (long story involving a Sears commercial) and it just stuck. I would say the four of us are all pretty kind and friendly souls - so perhaps it’s become befitting over time. Maybe “Softies” can be our version of “Swifties”.

Scott: It’s funny to think that was what we ended up calling ourselves. Band names can be such a bizarre thing. You have to find some umbrella label for your music. I guess in some respects we cared less about the band name and figured if we wrote good punk tunes people would hop on our bandwagon. In many ways, that’s kind of what happened.

PRT: What’s the funniest assumption someone’s made about your band based solely on your name?

Brian: Haha, that’s a good question. I think maybe the funniest thing about it is not necessarily the name itself, but the inevitable conversation afterwards having to explain the fast/melodic punk subgenre to someone that has no idea what you are talking about.

Scott: Also plenty of “I thought you were just going to be a joke band” or “I saw your name on the bill and thought these guys can’t be a punk band.” The band name does give off that impression.

PRT: What is up next for The Softer Side now that ‘Rise From The Deathbed’ is out?

Brian: We just played a really great festival here in Jacksonville for the one year anniversary of our bassist Jeremy’s brewery (Grace Note Brewing). We are hoping to schedule a couple more shows in the near future and may try to record a handful of new songs we are working on later this year or next as well.

Scott: To echo Brian, we got a lot of good ideas in the works for the next batch of tunes, so hopefully we can crank out some new material in less than ten years this time around!