About & Press

Soft Crisis is an alt rock band from St. Louis, MO. Formed in isolation in 2020, Soft Crisis began writing songs remotely only to unite in-person to record their first EP, “I’ll Stop Now.” Comprised of Reshad Staitieh (vocals and guitar), John Hardecke (drums), Garth Jenkins (bass), and K. Erik Seaver (guitar), Soft Crisis lied and did not stop. They took their songs to the stage and have been a regular presence at shows in and around Missouri ever since. With a heavy, guitar-laden sound and introspective lyrics born from nostalgia, Soft Crisis draws comparisons to “college rock” bands of yesteryear. Their second EP, “Things I Was Wrong About,” is out now.

Columbia Daily Tribune, “How St. Louis band Soft Crisis does — and doesn’t — embrace the ’90s on its latest EP.”“…[T]he band bears resemblance to a certain coterie of ’90s acts; Staitieh’s baritone vocals — often straddling a line between singing and speaking, sympathy and sneer — and the band’s guitar-driven orientation recall the likes of Toadies, Local H and the best of Better Than Ezra. But Staitieh and the rest of Soft Crisis — John Hardecke (drums), Garth Jenkins (bass), K. Erik Seaver (guitar) — also ground their songs in the present tense, responding to this moment, then the next; to, well, the soft crises any given day presents.”The Pitch Weekly, “Premiere: Soft Crisis’ video for ‘Bind’”“The EP and the music of Soft Crisis is, at heart, indie rock which recalls the time before indie, when everything from Neutral Milk Hotel to the Replacements fell under the rubric of “college rock.” The singles collection is exactly the sort of thing a new KJHK DJ and their parents could readily fall in love with, and we’re pretty excited that we get to premiere a video from I’ll Stop Now to celebrate its release today.”End Sessions, “Soft Crisis – String”“Prepárate para vibrar con “String” un rock de estilo noventero, de Soft Crisis. Te traemos en exclusiva el primer sencillo de su próximo EP “Things I Was Wrong About”, que será lanzado el 7 de septiembre, por esta grandiosa banda de rock alternativo, que evoca a bandas de los 90 y rock universitario. En esta ocasión nos presentan guitarras pesadas, líneas de bajo melódicas, letras introspectivas y una gran presencia de batería cargada de explosividad. Este tema expone el talento en producción y composición que la banda posee.”American Pancake, Shoutout – Soft Crisis “String”St. Louis, MO’s Soft Crisis and the super chunky indie rock heaviness & dreaminess of “String” feels like those heartfelt memories strung up on a string.Lost in The Nordics, “If you’re not listening to Soft Crisis’ “I’ll Stop Now”, you’re missing out!”“Soft Crisis still has an utterly unique sound, and they simply display their alt-rock influences in little glimpses throughout the record… I really enjoyed I’ll Stop Now. It toes the line between light and dark. Yes, there’s a lot of darkness to this EP, and there are plenty of downtrodden moments, but the joyous vocals, punchy beats and electrifying guitars all help to give a jubilant vibe to even the most sorrowful melodies on the release.”indiemusicreviews.net, “Soft Crisis Releases EP”
“Their music feels heavily steeped in ’90s indie rock which I happen to love. I grew up on bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement and it was obvious to me that they were influenced by them. In fact the lead singer vocals have a fairly striking resemblance to Stephen Malkmus. I can already visualize the ears of fans of Pavement perking up… Suffice it to say if you enjoy ’90s indie rock in the spirit of bands like Yo La Tengo, Pavement and others you will love this. On top of that the band has a cohesive sound and thought the EP plays very well from beginning to end. In my opinion, there’s a whole lot to appreciate here. Take a listen.“