Deadbeat Girl channels vulnerability into powerful energy with “Soft,” a cathartic indie rock explosion from their raw and unflinching ‘Self-Destructor’ EP. This track reclaims sensitivity as a form of strength and transforms emotional honesty into a bold act of self-liberation.
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Stream: “Soft” – Deadbeat Girl
I feel this EP is for those who yearn, who feel insecure, and who are always battling within their minds.
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There’s a volcanic intensity simmering beneath “Soft.”
It unfolds in slow pressure waves – with overdriven guitars scraping and sparkling, drums taut like a held breath, and Val Olson’s voice piercing through the chaos with a clear, wounded honesty. Passionate, poignant, and relentless, Deadbeat Girl’s song emerges from deep within, its visceral lyrics cutting right through the defenses many of us learn to build. Olson confronts the societal pressure to be tougher, louder, harsher, and less emotional — less anything that could be seen as soft. In doing so, they elevate that softness into something powerful, defiant, and undeniably alive – an unfiltered, emotionally charged indie rock dream.
“Soft” – Deadbeat Girl
Released on October 24, “Soft” stands out as a soulful highlight from Deadbeat Girl’s Self-Destructor EP – a deeply introspective six-track collection that delves into themes of self-destruction, insecurity, and the complex journey toward self-acceptance. Val Olson from New York City bravely explores aspects of love, gender, identity, and the messy spaces in between. Yet, this track feels like the focal point: raw emotion, stark honesty, and a confession honed into catharsis.
When we get close
You’re just not into it
I’m not like all the outcasts
On the internet
Twisted and disturbing
You seem done with it
I guess I’m just not your type
Well, you prefer fools
It arises from a genuine experience – and a real hurt. “I was once in a relationship where my partner made me feel I was too soft or insufficiently masculine,” they explain. “They believed I was ‘not aggressive enough’ or ‘too emotional.’ I think a common expectation for masculine-presenting non-men is to conform to negative stereotypes associated with cis-men… People should be able to be themselves without feeling the need to apologize or explain.”
You can feel the shame, anger, and reclamation resonating throughout the song. The guitars growl and glisten, the drums throb like a tightened jaw, and Val Olson’s voice arrives with a beautiful, raw clarity – injured, yes, but unyielding. I’m just too soft… it’s not my fault. That line resonates because it’s rooted in truth, rooted in lived experience, as softness is too frequently misconstrued as weakness; however, it truly requires immense strength to keep feeling in a world that tells you to suppress those feelings.
Play the role
Can’t change my heart
I wish I was more aggressive
End the night, and you’re defensive
I’m not rough like all your exes, no
I’m just too soft
To satisfy you
I’m just too soft
I’m just too soft
Deadbeat Girl © Ashley Crichton
What makes “Soft” remarkable is that it doesn't linger in the wound. It pushes back – subtly, cleverly, with a self-aware attitude that resists letting pain dictate the story. Deadbeat Girl describes the song as “self-reflection and self-empowerment… meant to resonate with listeners but not to be taken too seriously.” It’s catharsis with a smile; a shout wrapped in a beat you can dance to; a reclamation delivered with enough attitude to dismiss others’ judgments.
Self-Destructor – Deadbeat Girl
That sense of empowerment flows throughout Self-Destructor as a whole, with Deadbeat Girl leaning into vulnerability as an act of resistance, examining insecurity, longing, and identity with grounded intensity. “I believe this EP is for those who yearn, those who feel insecure, and those in a constant internal battle,” Val Olson notes – a sentiment that resonates across the raw emotional landscape of the record. Nowhere is that struggle more evident than on the title track, where Olson directly faces the uneasy comfort of familiar sadness: “For me, and I believe for others, it can be easy to slip into a depressive mindset and find solace in it. Sometimes I romanticize it or feel nostalgic for harder times in my life, in a strange way, but many people can relate. Once you endure chaos and hardship for a long period, it can gradually become all you know and what you feel comfortable with.”
This process of confrontation and release is not only a theme – it’s profoundly personal. Writing Self-Destructor became a means for Olson to engage with
Deadbeat Girl channels vulnerability into energy with "Soft," a cathartic indie rock explosion from their unyielding and authentic 'Self-Destructor' EP. The track redefines sensitivity as a source of strength and transforms emotional honesty into a bold act of self-empowerment.
