Splaying dissonant chords against pop melodies in odd time signatures, Soft and Dumb explore gendered expectations, disembodiment, tenderness, and hardness. The rock duo met at college in Urbana, Illinois, where they gathered a dedicated following in the eclectic diy house show scene.

Taking inspiration from Mitski, Soccer Mommy, Protomartyr, and Palm, guitarist Elena Buenrostro and drummer Travis Newgren fuse singer-songwriter heartfeltness with jarring punk angularity. Ferociously diy-minded and freshly returned to their hometown Chicago, Soft and Dumb do all of their own recording, mixing, booking, and bio writing. The duo released their debut, self-titled album in fall 2022.