Soft Landing, the trio comprising Beirut’s Paul Collins & Perrin Cloutier, along with Mike Lawless, are self-described as “a bunch of Jorge Ben wannabees” and are releasing their first album this October. Soft Landing began as a recording project by Paul Collins. Between finishing school and touring the world with Beirut, he never really had time to focus on his project. After a month long tour in Brazil, Beirut took a break. It was then that he grabbed Perrin Cloutier (Beirut) and Michael Lawless (Paul’s college friend). Soft Landing, the band, was born. Knowing that free time like this never lasts, the band would practice almost everyday. In January, they drove out to Chicago, and recorded their debut record with Griffin Rodriguez (Icy Demons). The record is currently being mixed, and will be out soon. All of Paul’s songs seem to pull together multiple influences. From Jorge Ben to Arthur Russell, it’s all in there. The beats are huge, the electric guitar is liquid, and the acoustic relentlessly propels the rhythm. Yet, the bands ultimate goal is to make honest music that suits the players playing it.

MP3: SOFT LANDING- “BAPTISM”

MP3: SOFT LANDING- “MIC CHECK”

SOFT LANDING has a couple shows coming up at the end of July.