Soft Palms Are Rewriting The Rules Of The Music Business From A Long Beach Studio

Sitting successful nan power room of their location workplace known arsenic nan Centre of Mental Arts (COMA for short), Long Beach husband-and-wife duo Scott Montoya and Julia Kugel grin arsenic they talk caller euphony they recorded for their set Soft Palms. Their caller album, titled “In Echo,” has been successful nan useful for complete 5 years. The 10-song album, retired Friday connected Everloving Records, was inspired by their vexation astir really they consciousness nan world has devolved since 2020.

“The first grounds I was like, ‘I want to springiness nan world a hug,’” Kugel says. “And past this 1 I was like, f— this world.”

For Kugel and Montoya, nan medium serves arsenic nan latest section of their imaginative and individual journey. The brace met successful 2012 astatine a euphony show successful Dallas (“The astir romanticist city,” Kugel quips), while playing successful nan Atlanta-based set nan Coathangers and Orange County’s nan Growlers, respectively. They bonded complete a shared disgust astatine gladiator shoes, and soon thereafter, were successful a relationship.

By 2017, they were joined and settled successful Long Beach. Despite Kugel’s domiciled successful nan Coathangers astatine nan clip (Montoya near nan Growlers successful 2016), nan mates wanted to shape a band. Previously, they recorded a brace of songs that constituted Kugel’s 2nd solo seven-inch single. That acquisition made them comfortable knowing they could equilibrium their master and individual lives.

“He’s ace easy to activity with,” Kugel says of Montoya, who sits beside her, trying to hide a smile. She looks astatine him and continues, “he’s very talented and very patient.”

“When we were successful our different bands, we utilized to meet up connected tour,” Montoya, who besides produces and engineers for different artists, says. ”You spot nan absolute worst of group connected circuit … truthful this is nothing.”

To kickstart Soft Palms, Kugel drew from a batch of songs she had antecedently written that had nary home. Being capable to grounds successful their ain workplace allowed nan brace to trade songs without emotion immoderate unit to meet a deadline.

By precocious 2019, nan brace put nan finishing touches connected their self-titled debut. When nan grounds was released successful July 2020, nan pandemic was still successful afloat force. The brace were disappointed and upset by nan authorities of nan world, and aft a fewer years of stewing, Kugel and Montoya sewage started connected a 2nd album.

Don’t beryllium fooled by its breezy ’60s-analog vintage popular sound. Soft Palms are angry, and that informs nan tone of “In Echo.”

The brace points to “Radio” arsenic nan album’s bellwether. First released successful 2025, nan opus rails against how, complete nan past fistful of years, group person fought for nan liking of fighting, pinch nary extremity successful sight.

More strikingly, connected nan biting “Nervous arsenic Hell,” Montoya points to Fox News arsenic “infecting everyone’s parents.”

“I did immoderate digging because I couldn’t judge thing that hateful existed,” he says of nan network, specifically its landmark $787-million colony pinch Dominion Voting Systems. “It turned it from this horrible point into this s— business that has taken advantage of nan aged and destroyed families.”

That anger continues connected nan angsty rocker “The Wedding Song.” Kugel points to attending a wedding wherever a family personnel joined a “total raging maniac,” and really they dealt pinch nan buildup of delicately balancing being cordial yet firm.

“He [the family member] goes, ‘I conscionable want you to show up and unopen up!” she says. “I was like, ‘Well, firstly, f— you. Then secondly, this is simply a opus — you conscionable handed maine gold.”

Since settling successful Long Beach, for nan past 10 years Kugel and Montoya took it upon themselves to thief foster a positive, creator community. It’s that mindset that pushed them to recovered and run their 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Studios for Schools pinch nan extremity of providing signaling instrumentality to underprivileged schools.

Their DIY activity ethic successful intermezo was besides nan driving unit down Happy Sundays, a free Long Beach-based euphony festival. Running for 10 years, nan fest created a artifact statement successful nan city’s Zaferia vicinity that yet expanded into a afloat play of shows crossed stages group up astatine section businesses to big a divers lineup of seasoned and up-and-coming area bands. Though nan arena was paused this twelvemonth truthful they tin attraction connected nan caller medium and book, nan mates scheme to bring it backmost successful 2027.

“It was for illustration a connection successful that measurement of for illustration f— these elephantine prices, VIP experiences and each of that stuff,” Kugel says. “It’s nan anti-music show and a ceremony of community.”

Keeping pinch that spirit, and drafting from nan experiences of their two-decade careers, past period nan brace released a book titled “How to Be Self-Reliant successful nan Music Business.” The genesis of this self-published guidebook occurred erstwhile nan brace realized they were not receiving a information of a royalty watercourse they were owed. They knew that if they were successful nan acheronian connected nan issues they thought they knew, others apt were arsenic well.

“We decided to move it into a book because we realized there’s truthful overmuch worldly that fewer artists cognize astir connected their own,” Montoya says. “I want group to understand nan scope of what they’re really getting into, and nan reality of their situations.”

“It’s a very thorough overview,” Kugel adds.

The book includes accusation beyond what 1 would find successful Donald S. Passman’s longstanding manufacture book “All You Need to Know About nan Music Business.” With assistance from a lawyer friend and a CPA family member, nan brace addresses topics ranging from backstage etiquette to managing societal media to dealing pinch grounds labels and publishing companies. They dream that it will supply a blueprint for bands aged and caller to amended navigate music’s notoriously choppy waters. Their accessible, snack-size chapters move fluidly arsenic they explicate nan realities artists look successful 2026.

Battling done nan disappointment of nan first portion of nan decade allowed Kugel and Montoya to find their imaginative way. Armed pinch this infusion of activity crossed various disciplines, nan mates is inspired to proceed to shingle their measurement retired of nan past. Though focused connected their impending U.S. and European tour, nan duo committedness that nan adjacent Soft Palms medium won’t return arsenic agelong and are mulling complete their adjacent music-industry book project. For now.

“It’s a batch to support up pinch each of these projects,” Montoya says. “We activity each day, each day. And it’s been cool to spot signs that it’s paying off.”