Soft Power

'Soft Power' bears a raw vitality that marks a major departure from Doe's previous albums. Naming Carole King among her inspirations, Doe notes that this record's more urgent feel comes partly from reconnecting with the instinctive approach of her earliest songwriting. Throughout the album, Doe infuses her songs with a rebellious spirit.

A passionately charged track about misogyny, 'Guilty' blends cascading guitar lines with sharply cutting lyrics (I know I'm not the first / that you made defend her word). 'Over' brings classic girl-group harmonies and smoldering vocal work to speak to the song's central question: Now that I'm older / does it get easier / to get over? Several songs also confront the notion of setting boundaries, with 'Projector' centering on "the refusal to let someone else superimpose their story onto yours" and "Walk Through the Fire" emerging as a brutal testament to the fact that "self-examination is ultimately a solo job - and there's no easy way to do it".