The Afghan Whigs Soft Control

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs have crafted a record that feels both restorative and surprising on Soft Control. The reviewer's voice lingers on the emotional punch of “Duvateen”, which stands out as the record's biggest surprise and best track for its wistful, rueful acceptance of time. At the same time the album's pop gifts surface in “My Lover” and “77”, bright moments that balance the darker balladry, and the sequencing - side A accessibility, side B headphone intimacy - makes the best tracks on Soft Control land with impact. The result reads like a mature band still chasing nuance, where standout songs reward both longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Key Points

• “Duvateen” is the standout for its unexpected emotional resonance and acceptance of time.
• The album balances accessible, pop-forward tracks with darker, headphone-ready ballads and horn arrangements.

Themes

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs find new ground on Soft Control by pushing their soul-grunge into more graceful territory. The best songs on Soft Control are the ones that slip furthest from the band’s historic grip: “Duvateen” is immediately one of the most affecting numbers of their long run, while “Mariah Luster” turns admissions into a way of moving forward. “Memphis, Texas” brings unabashed rock balladry, and “Loose Talk” reaches for anthemic aspirations. The edge remains, but the old expectations are the least memorable pieces; Soft Control gets more provocative the farther it slips from them.

Key Points

• “Duvateen” stands out as one of the Whigs’ most affecting songs, turning adult self-definition into a confession.
• The album’s core strength is its willingness to move beyond vintage Whigs expectations into more graceful and provocative territory.

Themes

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs arrive at Soft Control as a band considering age, regret and the residue of mischief, and the best songs - notably “77” and “Duvateen” - distill that weary clarity with bruised soul and sly humour. The reviewer’s long memory for swagger and vulnerability persists, so when “My Lover” and “Memphis, Texas” surface they feel lived-in rather than nostalgic, domesticity and loss rendered without cheap sentiment. Closing moment “A Simulation” lands as the rightful epic closer, carrying the album’s acceptance of mortality into an expansive finale.

Key Points

• The best song, “77”, crystallizes the album’s acceptance of aging with a clear, forward-looking lyric.
• Soft Control’s core strengths are its lived-in soul-rock sonics, weary wit, and emotional directness.

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs sound remarkably poised on Soft Control, the record often returning to a heat-haze of gospel and noir. The reviewer singles out opener “Jungle Roux” and “House Of I” as immediate highlights, their soul-rock classicism cutting through the band’s four-decade weight. There is a fondness for the noir-ish atmosphere of “Duvateen” and the sultry swagger of “My Lover”, while the six-minute closer “A Simulation” frames Dulli’s drama as refocused and urgent. Overall, the best songs on Soft Control are those that balance trademark intensity with fresh, expansive shapes.

Key Points

• Opener “Jungle Roux” is the best song because its gospel-fuelled heat-haze immediately quells doubts about the band's comeback.
• The album's core strengths are its soul-rock classicism, noir-ish atmosphere, and Dulli's undimmed dramatic focus.

Themes

Critic's Take

In his wry, observant voice Darryl Sterdan presents The Afghan Whigs and Soft Control as a band tempered by maturity, where the best tracks - like “Jungle Roux” and “My Lover” - balance banger energy with somber reflection. Sterdan’s sentences fold appraisal into vivid image, praising Dulli’s vocals as simultaneously strongest and most delicate while noting the record’s taut 37-minute scope. He frames the album as a reconciliation of loud volume and introspection, and positions those standout songs as invitations to embrace the light and welcome the darkness. The result is an endorsement of the album’s dualities, highlighting why listeners search for the best songs on Soft Control and where its most affecting moments lie.

Key Points

• The best song(s) pair the Whigs' 'banger' energy with tempered introspection, making tracks like "Jungle Roux" standouts.
• The album’s core strength is its ability to reconcile loud rock guitars with soul-inflected, reflective songwriting.

Themes

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs return on Soft Control with a veteran assurance that puts the best songs - particularly “Jungle Roux” and “Duvateen” - front and centre. Dulli radiates confidence on “Jungle Roux”, that gospel-laden opener, while “Duvateen” most fully captures his present, moving from childhood memories to reckoning with mortality. The album’s brooding ballads like “The Deepest Part of the Darkest Shadow” and “Mariah Luster” swell with dramatic piano and opulent horns, but it is the harmonica-tinged “Memphis, Texas” that soars with yearning passion. Overall, these best tracks show the Whigs balancing swagger and cinematic tenderness, guiding them toward a vibrant third act.

Key Points

• Duvateen stands out as the album's emotional centerpiece, capturing Dulli’s present and thematic reckoning.
• Soft Control’s strengths are its soul-infused arrangements, brooding ballads, and a balance of swagger with cinematic tenderness.

Themes

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs return in finer form on Soft Control, recreating past glories with a greater sense of self that measures up to or, arguably, overtakes their best past work. The best songs on Soft Control include “Jungle Roux,” where audio paranoia and call-and-response vocals teeter close to the edge, and “Duvateen,” whose bright piano riffs frame Dulli’s introspective acceptance. “My Lover” turns negativity into a jangly, seething pop trip, while “Memphis, Texas” almost absorbs the listener like a moonlight car ride. They fall into that unique group of bands that actually gets better with age.

Key Points

• “Duvateen” stands out for setting Dulli’s self-examination against bright piano riffs and majestically ringing guitar.
• The album’s core strength is how its loose, confident delivery makes even tense, somber material feel catchy and inviting.

Themes

Critic's Take

The Afghan Whigs can’t be the cutthroat alt-rock band of the ‘90s forever, but they don’t have to pave over that side of themselves, either. The best songs on Soft Control arrive when the band hits its stride: “Duvateen” digs into a soulful, steady, deep-running Modern American Songbook feel, while “The Deepest Part of the Darkest Shadow” and “77” find Dulli sounding rich and burnished. On “Loose Talk,” he’s breaking into a grand, impassioned chorus. Soft Control probably isn’t some new frontier crossed, but it certainly isn’t a staid wheel-spinning exercise, either. The Afghan Whigs are still hitting tremendous heights, and doing so with some real grace.

Key Points

• “Duvateen” is the best song because the band digs into soulful, steady, deep-running layers of Americana.
• The album's core strengths are its rich vocals, full-bodied arrangements, and fresh but classic embrace of soul and Americana.

Themes