Brooklyn’s Liam Benzvi has a day job with Strange Names who have had a successful debut with Frenchkiss Records and have another album on the way. But Benzvi wanted to branch out and explore different sounds and so he formed Soft Ethnic. Soft Ethnic has a great sound that’s an amalgam of synthpop, electro soul and queer no-wave. As you’ll hear on “Prints”, Soft Ethnic wraps delicious pop melodies inside a gentle, soulful groove, creating a sophisticated blend.
The directors of the video tell PopMatters about its creation: “A collaboration between New York-based director Jarod Taber and set designer Marki Becker, the video for Soft Ethnic’s “Prints” relies on a simple set and a variety of characters played by Liam Benzvi to visually represent the construction and variation found throughout the song. Influenced by Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis group, the set pieces were designed and colored to add a playful backdrop and lightness to the scene. This, along with the relative sparseness and consistency of the editing creates a strong visual language that lends itself well to Liam Benzvi’s melodic musings.”
Soft Ethnic’s debut EP Amnesia, USA will be self-released in late spring.