Slaves reveal they are now called ‘SOFT PLAY’
Following criticism surrounding their historically offensive name, British punk duo Slaves have changed their name to Soft Play.
Back in 2020, the Californian post-hardcore band, also called Slaves, announced that they would be changing their name to address some people’s discomfort with the name’s connotations. They eventually landed on Rain City Drive as their new handle. As an ulterior benefit, the rebranding cleared up any confusion between themselves and the UK punk duo f the same name.
It has now been announced that the UK Slaves will also change their controversial name to something a little less divisive. In a new statement, the pair said their original name “was intended solely as a reference to the grind of day-to-day life.”
Adding: “We want to sincerely apologise to anyone we’ve offended.”
The original name first caused controversy after the Mercury Prize nominees broke through to mainstream success in 2014-15. The Fader published an article headlined: “Why Would A Band Of White Dudes Name Themselves Slaves?”
The duo, who originated in Kent, defended their choice at the time, posting a statement explaining that they had been “working tedious 9-5 jobs when we started playing together, stacking shelves and mopping floors.”
“Our name and music is aimed at being a slave to day-to-day life and routine. It is a metaphorical use of the word,” they asserted.
“‘Cease Fire’ and ‘Wishing Well’ are the first two tracks we ever wrote, they address people addicted to smoking and the struggle of the day-to-day rat race: ‘It doesn’t matter if they’re taken because they’ll take you.’”
Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent are now returning from a three-year hiatus and have issued the statement: “As younger men, we responded to criticism of the name from a place of fear and defensiveness.
“Feeling backed into a corner, our own pride caused us to fight for a name we weren’t even sure we wanted anymore. It felt at times as if our band name had defined us and we were scared of what might happen if we changed it.
“However, we now recognise that our original intent doesn’t change the fact that the name Slaves is an issue. In this day and age, we believe it is very important that people change and make improvements no matter how far down the line they are.”
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